Taliban attacks schools

last updated 8 January 2015

Kabul

Taliban militants have mounted a concerted campaign of terror aimed at Afghanistan’s public schools, The New York Times reported this week. In recent weeks, snipers have shot dozens of young girls on their way to school, kidnappers have beheaded teachers, and militants have burned many of the tents that serve as makeshift classrooms. “By attacking schools, the terrorists want to make the point of their own existence,” said Education Minister Mohammad Hanif Atmar. With both teachers and infrastructure in short supply, only about half of Afghanistan’s school-age children are enrolled in school at all, and now parents are considering keeping them home for their own safety. “It is better for my children to