80 girls hospitalised after poisoning in 2 Afghanistan schools

Kabul, June 4

Nearly 80 girls were poisoned and hospitalised in two separate attacks at primary schools in northern Afghanistan, a local education official said Sunday.

It is thought to be the first such assault since the Taliban swept to power in 2021 and began crackdown on the rights of Afghan women.

Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade. The official said the person who orchestrated the poisoning had a personal grudge but did not elaborate.

The attacks took place in Sar-e-Pul province over Saturday and Sunday. Nearly 80 female students were poisoned in Sangcharak district, said Mohammad Rahmani, who heads the provincial education department. He said 60 students were poisoned in Naswan-e-Kabod Aab School and 17 in Naswan-e-Faizabad School.

“Both schools are near to each other. We shifted the students to hospital and now they are all fine,” he said. AP