Taliban close down 24 schools in Nangarhar

KABUL: Officials of the Nangarhar Provincial Education Directorate on Wednesday said that Taliban has closed 24 schools in the province in the last three days and threatened children not to attend schools.

Spokesman of the education directorate Asif Shinwari told Afghanistan Times that the Taliban closed schools in a bid to bargain with the government for release of their comrades. “They also asked the government to reopen all roads closed by security forces. They also demanded that medicines should be provided to healthcare centers in their areas,” he said.

He said the action of the militant group deprived more than 20,000 girls and boys from attending schools. Shinwari said the children were preparing for final exams and three months long winter vacations are also approaching fast. “We have shared our concerns with the relevant authorities to resolve the problem.” He once again asked the Taliban fighters not to create problems for education sector, because they have nothing to do with politics and other issues.