Nearly 80 Girl Students 'Poisoned' In 2 Afghanistan Schools, Hospitalised

The alleged targeted poisoning took place in the Sangcharak district of Afghanistan. 60 students were poisoned at Naswan-e-Kabod Aab school and 17 others were poisoned at nearby Naswan-e-Faizabad school.

Education for girls is banned in Afghanistan beyond sixth grade which includes university. Women are also barred from most jobs and public spaces

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Nearly 80 Afghan girls were hospitalised after allegedly being poisoned at their schools in northern Afghanistan. The poisoning targeted two girls’ schools in the Afghan province of Sar-e Pol. The incidents come amid intense scrutiny over girls' education in the war-torn country since the Taliban took over and barred most teenage female students and after a wave of poison attacks on girls' schools in Iran.

Mohammad Rahmani, who heads the provincial education department, said that the incident took place in Sangcharak district. He also stated that 60 students were poisoned in Naswan-e-Kabod Aab school and 17 others poisoned in Naswan-e-Faizabad school, as reported by news agency Associated Press.

“Both primary schools are near to each other and were targeted one after the other,” he told the Associated Press. “We shifted the students to the hospital and now they are all fine.” The investigation is underway and initial inquiries showed that someone with a grudge paid a third party to carry out the attacks, Rahmani said, as per AP. 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.

According to Reuters, Sar-e-Pol's police spokesperson Den Mohammad said that some unknown people entered a girl's school in Sancharak District and poisoned the classes.  "Some unknown people entered a girls' ... school in Sancharak District .. and poisoned the classes, when the girls come to classes they got poisoned," Sar-e-Pol's police spokesperson Den Mohammad said, as quoted by Reuters.

However, he did not give any details about the substance that was used or who was behind the incident. Nazari said that the girls were rushed to the hospital and are in “good condition”, nobody has been arrested so far. 

Poison attacks have also taken place in girls’ schools during the previous foreign-backed government, which includes suspected gas attacks. Meanwhile, in neighbouring Iran, poisoning incidents at girls' schools sickened an estimated 13,000 mostly female students since November but there has been no information about who might be behind the incidents or what substance has been used for these poisonings.