Gunmen torch girls’ school in Farah

FARAH CITY (Pajhwok): Suspected militants torched a girls’ school near the capital of western Farah province on Wednesday, destroying the building, an official said.

The governor’s spokesman, Jawad Afghan, told Pajhwok Afghan News the incident took place in the Nawbahar area 14 kilometers from Farah City, the provincial capital, in the afternoon.

However, a Taliban spokesman denied involvement of the fighters in torching the school.

Education Director Mohammad Sabir Farooqi said four motorcyclists forced girls into leaving the school before torching it.

The school’s only two rooms and four tents were destroyed in the fire and the attackers warned teachers against reopening the school, he added. About 550 girls attend the school.

A resident of Nawbahar area, Mohammad Nader, said security forces reached the scene three hours after the incident.

Farah education officials say 18 schools in the province have already been shut due to insecurity.

A week ago, 23 schools and a teachers’ training center were closed by militants in eastern Nangarhar province, but the schools reopened a day earlier.

The Ministry of Education says about 300 schools, mostly south, in different parts of the country are closed due to security concerns.

mds/ma

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