Tensions were further enflamed earlier this week when the Taliban announced its new Government, which does not include a single female in it. Furious protestors took to the streets of Kabul in Afghanistan - an event covered by Neamat Naqdi and Taqi Daryabi, who work for the local Etilaat Roz newspaper. But the two journalists claim they were "arrested, insulted and kicked".

       Mr Naqdi said he was told: "You are lucky you weren’t beheaded."

       The Afghan journalist was allegedly arrested after taking pictures of the protest, to which Taliban fighters told him he "cannot film".

       Mr Naqdi managed to hand his camera to someone nearby before it could be taken, but he said three Taliban fighters grabbed him and escorted him to the police station.

       The fighters from the militant Islamist group then allegedly accused the journalist of being behind the protest before they brutally attacked him.

       He said he was taken to a cell packed with other people where he found colleague Mr Daryabi, who had also been arrested while reporting on the protest.

       Mr Daryabi said: "We were in so much pain that we couldn’t move. They see us as enemies."

       Khadim Karimi, Editor-in-Chief at the same paper the reporter and photographer work at, claimed 10 Taliban members beat him “by boxing, kicking, cables, pipes and everything that was available”.

       He said: “I was looking death in the face.

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       "I was thinking about my family, because I thought that I would be killed.”

       Mr Karimi had been arrested by the Taliban shortly before attempting to secure the release of his two colleagues.

       An 18-year-old journalist who was also arrested but did not want to be named, said: "They called me 'Not Muslim', 'Son of the British', 'Son of the United States'.

       “The whipping went on for a very long time so that I forgot to keep track of time.

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       "They told me to show my other friends who were filming.

       "I came out of the room crying and everyone was looking at me and they looked hopeless.”

       Dozens of journalists have been beaten, detained or stopped from covering protests against the Taliban and their perceived Pakistani backers, according to reports.

       The Taliban took control of Afghanistan around four weeks ago on August 15, with the group promising a more tolerant rule and to work for "the peace and prosperity of the country”.

       Early protests have been tolerated by the Taliban, but earlier this week the group said demonstrations were illegal unless permission had been given by the justice ministry for them to take place.

       Just 24 hours later on Wednesday, fighters began violently breaking up any protests.

       During the week, the Taliban had also demanded telecoms companies switch off 3G and 4G mobile internet services in several areas of the Afghan capital of Kabul.

       This is a move often associated with authoritarian regimes that are aiming to enforce news blackouts.

       Following the announcement, a protest set to take place on Thursday was cancelled.