Taliban order Afghan girls’ schools shut hours after reopening

Agencies | Kabul

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The Taliban yesterday backtracked on their announcement that high schools would open for girls, saying they would remain closed until a plan was drawn up in accordance with Islamic law for them to reopen. Teachers and students from three high schools around the capital Kabul said girls had returned in excitement to campuses yesterday morning, but were ordered to go home.

They said many students left in tears. “We all got disappointed and we all became totally hopeless when the principal told us, she was also crying,” said a student, not being named for security reasons. The last time the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, from 1996 to 2001, they banned female education and most employment.

The international community has made the education of girls a key demand for any future recognition of the Taliban administration, which took over the country in August as foreign forces withdrew. The United Nations and United States condemend the reported closures yesterday. The Ministry of Education had announced last week that schools for all students, including girls, would open around the country after months of restrictions on education for high