KABUL, Afghanistan: Two sources have confirmed to Reuters that the Taliban have told Afghan airlines that women cannot board domestic or international flights without a male chaperone.

The move comes after the Taliban backtracked on their previous commitment to open high schools to girls, which shocked many Afghans and was condemned by humanitarian agencies and foreign governments.

Due to the Taliban’s decision, the U.S. cancelled planned meetings with Afghan officials to discuss economic issues.

The sources, who were not named for security reasons, said that the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice sent a letter to the nation’s airlines informing of them of the new restrictions.

Unaccompanied women who had already booked tickets would be allowed to immediately travel, but some women with tickets had been turned away at Kabul’s airport, they added.

Spokespeople for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice and the Ministry of Culture and Information did not respond to request for comment, but a Taliban administration spokesman previously said that women traveling abroad for study should be accompanied by a male relative.

The Taliban has claimed to have changed since their previous rule from 1996 to 2001, when they barred women from education, work and being outside in public without a male relative. They also said they are allowing women their rights in accordance with Islamic law and Afghan culture.

Whether the restrictions on air travel would allow any exemptions, such as emergencies or for women with no male relatives, or whether it applied to foreigners or women with dual citizenship, is not known.

The international community has not officially recognised the Taliban administration, and sanctions have crippled the country’s banking sector, which, combined with a cut in development funding, has caused a humanitarian crisis in the country.