The trend of the Taliban being opposed to girls going to school has increased in recent years. The group has also stepped up their offensive against the education of women. In addition to physical attacks such as beatings and acid-throwing, female adolescents have also been bombed, their schools burned, and their teachers killed.

Last November, acid-throwing radical Islamists launched yet another attack against schoolgirls in the southern city of Kandahar and left many of them with severe burns and scars. Hundreds of schoolchildren have been attacked by the Taliban in the country since the group was toppled from power in 2001.

Last Sunday in Parwan province, outside Kabul, an incident left authorities worried and baffled. The attack was quite unusual because Parwan is an area where the Taliban has not shown fervent interest in and where the group never had firm control of. Even when the Islamists were in power in Kabul, Parwan tried to keep schools open for girls.

In this incident, several young students suddenly felt dizzy, lost consciousness, and were rushed to the hospital. The rest were sent home. None of the school girls had eaten or drunk anything unusual or suspicious while in school.

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health suspects that an air attack using poisonous gas was launched on the school girls. The agency has not yet ascertained the kind of poisonous substance that was used.

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Via AlertNet