Nearly 80 school girls poisoned in Afghanistan

Taliban officials said Sunday that school girls and their teachers were poisoned and hospitalized in two separate attacks over the weekend. Girls became nauseous at the beginning of the school day and reported difficulty breathing, vertigo, and headaches, according to the Taliban regional head of education. Education for girls is only allowed up to sixth grade in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, so most of those poisoned were 6 to 12 years old.

Do they know who did it? Afghan authorities are still looking for the perpetrator. Some officials said the person behind the poisoning held a grudge but did not elaborate. Others said the incident stemmed from animosity between villages, but residents and elders disagree with that claim. About half the girls were discharged from the hospital by Monday, and no fatalities were reported.

Dig deeper: Read A.S. Ibrahim’s column in WORLD Opinions on school girls poisoned in Iran earlier this year.