Taliban Blamed for Wave of Poison Attacks on Schoolgirls
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YURI CORTEZ/AFP/Getty Images(KABUL, Afghanistan) — The Taliban appears to be stepping up its attack on girls getting an education in Afghanistan by launching what is believed to be the third toxic assault on a school in a week.
On Tuesday, local officials in northern Afghanistan said that 160 schoolgirls complained of being poisoned by the Taliban. The symptoms included headaches, dizziness and vomiting.
Most of the girls were not seriously injured and were released after treatment at a nearby hospital.
Last week, another alleged attack by the Taliban on a school sickened 120 girls. That was preceded by a similar report of 40 girls being poisoned at another school.
Some conservative Afghan officials have actually blamed the incident ”to mass hysteria among schoolgirls” although their defenders contend the sheer number of victim complaints cannot be tied to mere hysteria.
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