Afghan Schoolgirls Targeted in New Poison Attacks

May 30, 2012 from Al Arabiya

Over 150 girls and teachers are being treated at a hospital following a poison attack on their school on Tuesday in the Takhar province. According to doctors this is the third attack on schools in northern Afghan provinces of Balkh and Takhar. Many of the students suffered headaches, vomiting and even fell unconscious as they were being admitted to the hospital. Police blame radicals who oppose the education of women and girls for attacking schools with unidentified toxic powder which is used to contaminate the air in classrooms.

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Takhar Province

Takhar is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, located in the northeast of the country next to Tajikistan. It is surrounded by Badakhshan in the east, Panjshir in the south, and Baghlan and Kunduz in the west. The city of Taloqan serves as its capital. The province... Explore this topic

Female education

Female education is a catch-all term for a complex of issues and debates surrounding education for females. It includes areas of gender equality and access to education, and its connection to the alleviation of poverty. Also involved are the issues of single-sex education and ... Explore this topic

Taliban

The Taliban, alternative spelling Taleban, is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan. It spread into Afghanistan and formed a government, ruling as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until December 2001, with Kandahar as the capital. Ho... Explore this topic

Afghanistan

Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked sovereign state forming part of South Asia, Central Asia, and to some extent Western Asia. It has a population of around 30 million inhabiting an area of approximately 647,500 km², making it the 42nd ... Explore this topic

Poison

In the context of biology, poisons are substances that cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism. The fields of medicine and zoology often distinguish a poison f... Explore this topic

Taliban insurgency

The Taliban insurgency began shortly after the group's fall from power following the 2001 war in Afghanistan. The Taliban forces are fighting against the Afghan government, which is led by President Hamid Karzai. It is also fighting against the US-led International Security As... Explore this topic

Balkh Province

Balkh is one of the thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan. It is in the north of the country and its name derives from the ancient city of Balkh, near the modern town. Its capital is Mazar-e Sharif. Hailed by Constantine and home to the famous and blue mosque, a Muslim holy pla... Explore this topic

Kabul

Kabul, also spelled Cabool, Caubul, Kabol, or Cabul, mostly in historical contexts, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan. According to a 2012 estimate, the population of the city... Explore this topic

Afghan National Army

The Afghan National Army is the main branch of the military of Afghanistan, which is responsible for land-based military operations and ground warfare to defend the state against foreign military incursions. It is under the Ministry of Defense in Kabul and is being trained by ... Explore this topic

Violence against women

Violence against women is a technical term used to collectively refer to violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. Similar to a hate crime, this type of violence targets a specific group with the victim's gender as a primary motive. The United Nat... Explore this topic

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Takhar Province

Female education

Taliban

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