The Taliban have allegedly banned barbers in Helmand from shaving or trimming beards according to a report in BBC on Sunday.

The report says violators will be punished. Barbers in Kabul told BBC they received similar orders though it's not clear who from.

The BBC said it read a notice posted on salons in southern Helmand province in which Taliban officers "warned that hairdressers must follow Sharia law for haircuts and beards... No one has a right to complain."

The BBC also quotes a hairdresser saying "he received a call from someone claiming to be a government official [who] instructed him to "stop following American styles" and not to shave or trim anyone's beard."

The barbers quoted in the story were not named for their safety but they have complained their business has nearly dried up due to this ruling.

One barber was quoted as saying: "Nobody cares about their style or hair fashion," referring to men themselves not wanting to violate the Taliban's rule.

Social media users took to Twitter to comment about this ruling, urging world leaders not to allow the group to return to their old ways of governance.

Another said the new version of Taliban didn't seem so new after all.

One user quoted an Afghan media outlet as saying the orders were coming from Hafez Rashid Helmandi, Helmand's director of information and culture and the ruling would soon become nationwide.

Some even shared what was reportedly the order by the Taliban though Aaj can not independently verify this.