According to Mohammad Rahmani, the head of the Education Department in the northern Sar-e-Pul province of Afghanistan, approximately 80 primary school students, predominantly girls, are suspected of being poisoned over the weekend.

They were subsequently taken to a hospital in the Sangcharak district. Rahmani informed CNN that the intelligence unit of the provincial police department is currently conducting an investigation into the incident. He further stated that he personally spoke to the police and that authorities have yet to determine the responsible party, the motive behind the act, or the specific type of poison that may have been used on the school children.

According to Rahmani, the investigation was initiated based on reports from 17 female students at one school on Saturday, followed by another incident involving 60 students, primarily girls, at a school in a neighbouring village the following day.

Rahmani explained that upon arriving at school in the morning, the students began experiencing sudden dizziness, headaches, and nausea. The affected students were admitted to a nearby hospital, while 14 individuals in critical condition were transferred to a hospital in the provincial capital under Rahmani's account.

A doctor at Sar-i-Pul hospital, speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, confirmed to CNN that some of the admitted girls exhibited symptoms consistent with poisoning. This has led the doctor to believe that they were indeed poisoned. The issue of girls' education has become a contentious topic in Afghanistan since the Taliban assumed control of the country in 2021.

The Taliban's actions have resulted in the erosion of hard-won freedoms for women and their exclusion from public life. One of the significant areas affected by these restrictions has been education, with girls being barred from secondary schools and universities, thereby denying an entire generation access to academic opportunities.

In response to international pressure, the Taliban allowed primary schools to remain open for girls up to a certain age, approximately 12 years old, as reported by Reuters. However, Afghanistan has witnessed several instances of poisoning attacks targeting schoolgirls during the previous government, supported by foreign powers. In 2012, over 170 women and girls were hospitalised after consuming seemingly poisoned well water at a school. Local health officials attributed these acts to extremists who opposed women's education.

Source: Egyptindependent