Official: Almost 80 schoolgirls poisoned, hospitalized in northern Afghanistan

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An education official in northern Afghanistan says nearly 80 girls at two primary schools have been poisoned in a targeted campaign. It’s the first time such an attack has happened since the Taliban took over the country in August 2021 and started cracking down on the rights of Afghan females. Girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade, including university. The education official said Sunday that two primary schools in northern Sar-e-Pul province, were targeted one after the other by someone with a personal grudge who paid a third party to carry out the attacks. He gave no information on how the girls were poisoned or the nature of their injuries but said they are fine now.