Official: Almost 80 schoolgirls poisoned, hospitalized in northern Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan — Nearly 80 women have been poisoned and hospitalized in two separate assaults at their number one faculties in northern Afghanistan, a neighborhood schooling reputable mentioned Sunday.

It is regarded as the primary time this type of attack has took place for the reason that Taliban swept to energy in August 2021 and started their crackdown at the rights and freedoms of Afghan girls and women.

Girls are banned from schooling past 6th grade, together with college, and girls are barred from maximum jobs and public areas.

The schooling reputable mentioned the one that orchestrated the poisoning had a non-public grudge however didn’t elaborate.

The assaults happened in Sar-e-Pul province over Saturday and Sunday.

Nearly 80 feminine scholars have been poisoned in Sangcharak district, mentioned (*80*) Rahmani, who heads the provincial schooling division. He mentioned 60 scholars have been poisoned in Naswan-e-Kabod Aab School and 17 others have been poisoned in Naswan-e-Faizabad School.

“Both primary schools are near to each other and were targeted one after the other,” he instructed The Associated Press. “We shifted the scholars to sanatorium and now they’re all superb.”

The department’s investigation is ongoing and initial inquiries show that someone with a grudge paid a third party to carry out the attacks, Rahmani said.

He gave no information on how the girls were poisoned or the nature of their injuries. Rahmani did not give their ages but said they were in grades 1 to 6.

Neighboring Iran has been rocked via a wave of poisonings, most commonly in women’ faculties, courting again to final November. Thousands of scholars mentioned they have been sickened via noxious fumes in the incidents. But there was no phrase on who may well be in the back of the incidents or what — if any — chemical compounds had been used.