Officials believe dozens of girls in Afghanistan were deliberately poisoned at school

Officials in northern Afghanistan said they believe that over the weekend, 89 girls and staff members at two elementary schools were poisoned.

The students and several of their teachers were hospitalized with respiratory and neurological symptoms, including shortness of breath, nausea, and weakness, with many having to go on ventilators. The first illnesses were reported on Saturday, when 63 students and staff members at the Kabod Aab School in Sar-i-Pul province became sick. On Sunday, 26 students and staffers at the nearby Faiz Abad Girls' School started to feel ill and reported similar symptoms, The New York Times reports.

"Unknown people spread poisonous substances inside the classrooms, and when the students entered the classrooms, they experienced shortness of breath, watery eyes and noses and they lost consciousness," Umair Sarpuli, director of culture and information in Sar-i-Pul, said. Local officials said intelligence and security forces are trying to find the perpetrators.

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Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, restrictions have been placed on girls and their educations. They can only attend elementary schools, and cannot go above the sixth grade. Women also are banned from working in most fields and going to public places like parks and gyms, and are not allowed to travel far unless accompanied by a male relative.

Many parents in Afghanistan were already worried about sending their daughters to school, and these attacks have only heightened their safety concerns. Hassan Haidari's daughter is a teacher at Kabod Aab School, and he told The New York Times she is on a ventilator at a provincial hospital. "Everyone is scared, and we should be scared because the poisoning of the students is severe," he said. "People want to know who did this to ensure it doesn't happen again. Otherwise, no one will send their daughter to school."