AFGHANISTAN : Nearly 80 girls were hospitalised after being poisoned at schools, an educational official in Afghanistan said Sunday.
As per reports, the incidents took place on Saturday and Sunday in the northern region of Sar-e-Pul.
The poisoning affected female students in grades 1 through 6 in the Sangcharak district, said Mohammad Rahmani, the director of the provincial department of education.
He stated that 60 students at Naswan-e-Kabod Aab School and 17 more students at Naswan-e-Faizabad School had been poisoned.
“Both primary schools are near each other and were targeted one after the other. We shifted the students to the hospital, and now they are all fine,” he said.
“The department’s investigation is ongoing, and initial inquiries show that someone with a grudge paid a third party to carry out the attacks,” said Rahmani without providing any further details.
It is believed to be the first time this type of assault has occurred since the Taliban came to power in August 2021 and started to restrict Afghan women’s and girls’ rights and freedoms.
Girls are not allowed to continue their education above the sixth grade, including at universities, and women are not permitted in the majority of occupations and public places.
The incident serves as a reminder of a string of poisonings that began in November and targeted young girls attending school in neighbouring Iran. Thousands of pupils said that the incidents made them sick due to noxious fumes.
However, no information has been released regarding who might be responsible for the accidents or what chemicals, if any, have been used.
Also Read: Afghanistan Would Let Women Work in Humanitarian Operations, UN Reports
