• Around 80 Afghan girls hospitalised after being poisoned at schools, says report

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    Around 80 Afghan girls hospitalised after being poisoned at schools, says report
    According to him, there were 60 poisoned students at Naswan-e-Kabod Aab School and an additional 17 at Naswan-e-Faizabad School, Fox News said.

    Digital Desk: An education official in Afghanistan stated that around 80 girls were hospitalised after being poisoned at schools, Fox News reported.

    The incidents reportedly took place over Saturday and Sunday in the northern region of Sar-e-Pul.

    The poisoning affected female students in grades 1 through 6 in the Sangcharak area, according to Mohammad Rahmani, the provincial department of education's director.

    According to him, there were 60 poisoned students at Naswan-e-Kabod Aab School and an additional 17 at Naswan-e-Faizabad School, Fox News said.

    "Both primary schools are near to each other and were targeted one after the other," he said, adding, "We shifted the students to the hospital and now they are all fine."

    The investigation by the department is still ongoing, but Rahmani stated that initial reports indicate that someone with a grudge paid a third party to carry out the attacks. According to Fox News, he provided no details about the girl's injuries or how they were poisoned.

    Since the Taliban came to power in August 2021 and started to restrict Afghan women's and girls' rights and freedoms, this assault is believed to be the first of its sort.

    Fox News reported, women are banned in the majority of occupations and public places, and girls are not permitted in education beyond the sixth grade, including universities.

    The incident serves as a reminder of a string of poisonings that began in November and targeted young girls attending school in neighbouring Iran. Many students said that the incidents caused them to become ill due to toxic gases. According to Fox News, there has been no news on who might be responsible for the occurrences or what, if any, chemicals, have been used.