Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers decided against opening schools to girls above the sixth grade, reneging on a previous promise and opting to appease their hardline base at the expense of further alienating the international community.
KABUL (Reuters)—The Taliban on Wednesday 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.
Taliban leaders in Afghanistan decided against allowing girls to attend school past Grade 6, an official said Wednesday even though leaders pledged to allow education for all earlier this week. The Taliban fears education for girls could alienate their rural base.
The Taliban had promised that Afghan girls could attend secondary school – but at the last minute, they changed their minds. The turnaround has left many wondering about their place in Afghan society.
By Masoud Popalzai and Alex Stambaugh, CNN The Taliban prevented girls above the 6th grade in Afghanistan from making their much-anticipated return to school on Wednesday. Just hours after schools for girls were due to open, the Taliban ordered them to shut down again.
The reversal was so sudden that the Education Ministry was caught off guard on Wednesday, the start of the school year. Some girls in higher grades returned to schools, only
US envoy slams move, which comes ahead of Taliban leadership meeting, as 'a betrayal of public commitments to the Afghan people and the international community'
The United States and other Western countries on Thursday condemned the Taliban's decision to shut girls secondary schools in Afghanistan just hours after reopening them, and urged the hardline Islam…
U.S. officials canceled economic talks with the Taliban government in Afghanistan after it reversed a decision to allow girls in the country to attend high-school.
The Taliban has sparked outrage and concern among human rights groups, after it reversed stance and closed secondary schools for girls across Afghanistan. Thousands of young students were sent home,…
About two dozen girls and women chanting "open the schools" protested in the Afghan capital Saturday against the Taliban's decision to shut their secondary schools just hours after re-opening them th…
The US has canceled Doha talks with the Taliban, after the the rulers of Afghanistan backtracked on allowing girls to attend secondary school. Female foreign ministers of 16 countries have also condemned the move.
