An Afghan school for girls was hit with poisonous gas yesterday. Over 100 people were hospitalized, some even slipped into comas. This is the third attack like this in as many weeks.
Girls have only been allowed to go to school in Afghanistan since the Taliban was removed from power in 2001. Before that, women and girls were banned from education and work.
Authorities are saying that Taliban sympathizers are probably behind these attacks. Blood from the victims is still being analyzed to find out what the poison was.
At the attacked schools attendance has gone down since the attacks. A lot of girls are scared that more will happen. While their fear is certainly understandable, refusing to return to school will simply give the attackers power and let them win. The point of attacking girls’ schools is to prevent girls from getting an education – staying home out of fear simply gives them exactly what they want. Let’s hope that these girls recover soon and safely return to their education. -Liza
(Photo via www.yenra.com)
