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| Afghanistan |
| Takhar militants poison more than 125 schoolgirls |
| 2012-05-25 |
| To control the future, control what the children are taught. Unable to confront Afghan security forces, and losing public support, militants May 23 once again released poison in a school, sickening at least 125 schoolgirls and woman schoolteachers in Takhar Province, in northeast Afghanistan. The poison was sprayed inside the girls’ school by unknown militants, local officials said. Investigators have not identified the type of poison. Medics transferred students and teachers complaining of symptoms like numbness and dizziness to the provincial hospital, said Abdullah Safi, director of public health for Takhar Province. While most of the victims were discharged after treatment, some remain hospitalised, Safi added. So far, no group has claimed responsibility, but officials at the Afghan Ministry of Education link the attack to “the enemies of the people of this country,” a term used to describe Islamic militants. There is no excuse or explanation for the unforgivable act of poisoning students, said Amanullah Iman, a ministry spokesman. The Quetta Shura (the Taliban leadership committee) recently held a meeting led by Mullah Qayyum Zakir in Quetta, Pakistan, in which the Shura decided to target Afghan schools in order to inflict a strong blow upon the Afghan government and international community, Mashal said. The Takhar poisoning is not the first such attack. Hundreds of students and teachers in several provinces have been sickened by poison in recent months. So far, no fatalities have been reported. Maybe they don't have fire alarms to pull to get out of an exam for which they are unprepared, so they have to poison the water? On April 17, in an attack for which no one has yet claimed responsibility, 100 schoolgirls elsewhere in Takhar Province were sickened when a poison was added to the school’s drinking water. Twenty-seven schoolgirls and teachers were also poisoned May 9 in Balkh Province, while 380 schoolboys were poisoned May 15 in Khost Province. The attacks have not yet affected school attendance rates, but if continued, they could undermine morale. I suppose it COULD undermine morale. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #1 These militants have a long way to go, before they catch up with Norwegian Muslims, who only want to behead children who don't fast. |
| Posted by: tipper 2012-05-25 14:42 |