Middle East

Taliban Allows Afghan Boys to Return to School, Girls Still Banned

BACKSLIDING

Despite promises of a slightly more progressive regime, the Taliban seems to be falling back into their old, extremist habits.

afghan_girls_ou5pms
Kana Basharat/Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

The Taliban allowed male Afghan students and teachers access to school on Saturday following an order requiring their attendance, reports the Wall Street Journal. But the Taliban’s statement from the ministry of education gave no instructions to women students and teachers, effectively prohibiting them from returning to their studies. Some private universities have opened their doors to women, but most stay home, scared to leave the house to pursue an education. Since the extremist group took power last month, the Taliban’s promises to girls have fallen short, reminiscent of their brutal rule in the late 1990s.

Read it at Wall Street Journal