UNICEF says some Taliban support girls' education

Reuters | Kabul

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) said Taliban representatives in some parts of Afghanistan have expressed support for educating girls after they seized control when US troops withdrew, its field operations chief for the country said on Tuesday.

Mustapha Ben Messaoud, UNICEF's chief of field operations in Afghanistan, said some Taliban local representatives had said they were waiting for guidance on the issue from their leaders, while others have said they want schools to run for girls.

"We are cautiously optimistic on moving forward," he told a UN briefing in Geneva.