Taliban close girls schools in east that had briefly opened

By RAHIM FAIEZ
Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Witnesses and social media reports say Taliban authorities have shut down girls schools above the sixth grade in eastern Afghanistan’s Paktia province. Several of the schools had been briefly opened after a recommendation by tribal elders and school principals. Earlier this month, five girls schools above grade 6 began operating without formal permission from the Taliban Education Ministry. On Saturday, all the schools were once again closed by the Taliban. Dozens of tearful former students — some in head-to-toe burqas, others in school uniforms and white vails — protested in the streets of Gardez, the capital of Paktia, according to social media posts.