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A6 WORLD NEWS
Friday 25 March 2022
Many baffled by Taliban reneging pledge on girls’ education

By KATHY GANNON province amid rumors of a
Associated Press Cabinet shuffle, which was
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) later denied. Still, reports
— A news presenter on Af- have persisted of declin-
ghanistan’s TOLO TV wept ing health of the elderly,
as he read the announce- Taliban-appointed Prime
ment. Images of girls crying Minister Hasan Akhund, a
after being turned back hard-liner.
from school flooded social Since the Taliban seized
media. Aid groups and power in mid-August during
many others remained baf- the last weeks of the cha-
fled. otic withdrawal of U.S. and
The Taliban have so far re- NATO forces from Afghani-
fused to explain their sud- stan, there have been re-
den decision to renege on ports of divisions among
the pledge to allow girls to Taliban leaders, with lines
go to school beyond sixth drawn between the hard-
grade. Schools were sup- liners and pragmatists.
posed to reopen to older It’s unclear whether a tus-
girls on Wednesday, the sle among the Taliban on
start of the new school how to rule the country
year. The ban caught even Afghan girls participate in a lesson at Tajrobawai Girls High School in Herat, Afghanistan on Nov. could have contributed
the Taliban-appointed Edu- 25, 2021. Associated Press to Wednesday’s ban but
cation Ministry unprepared. Torek Farhadi, an analyst
In many places across Af- would impose similar harsh gelaar, UNICEF’s chief of opening, in remote and who has advised past Af-

ghanistan, some girls in measures and restrictions education in Afghanistan. deeply conservative villag- ghan governments, called
higher grades returned to particularly limiting wom- “We were blindsided,” es where women teachers it a misfire.
schools, only to be told to en’s rights to education said Sam Mort, UNICEF’s may not have been avail- In Kabul on Wednesday,
go home. and work as when they communications chief in able to educate girls ar- sisters Raihana Mirzakhail,
The move may have been previously ruled the country Afghanistan. “All the mes- rangements were made for 18, and Suria Mirzakhail, 17,
designed to appease the in the late 1990s. sages, all the actions that older male teachers, who showed up at their Maw-
Taliban’s hard-line base The United Nations chil- had been taking place led were considered accept- lana Jalaluddin Moham-
but it came at the expense dren’s agency told The As- us to believe that schools able, to step in and teach mad Balkhi school. Their
of further alienating the sociated Press on Thursday were opening, and as we all-girls classes beyond sixth teacher started taking
international community. they were blindsided by understand it, that’s what grade. down attendance for the
The world has been reluc- the announcement. our counterparts in the Min- Coincidentally or not, the eleventh grade, when an-
tant to officially recognize “I think that yesterday was istry of Education believed Taliban leadership was other teacher came into
Afghanistan’s new rulers, a very confusing day for all as well.” summoned on Wednes- the classroom and told all
concerned the Taliban of us,” said Jeannette Vo- Ahead of the planned re- day to southern Kandahar the girls to go home. q

Iran blames U.S. for delays in reaching nuclear deal

BEIRUT (AP) — Iran’s foreign alistic vision” by the United before Russia demanded he said “some matters are Iran-backed fighters from
minister claimed Thursday States.Speaking during a that its trade with Iran be still pending and they are around the region, includ-
that his country is ready to visit to Beirut, Hossein Ami- exempted from Western related to lifting the unjust ing Hezbollah militants, to
reach a lasting agreement rabdollahian urged the U.S. sanctions over Ukraine, sanctions” imposed on Iran. bolster Syrian government
with world powers, blaming to stop “wasting time.” throwing the process into “We believe that the United forces against opponents
the latest failure to revive Nuclear negotiations near- disarray. States should move on the in the 11-year Syrian con-
Tehran’s tattered nuclear ly reached completion on Negotiators have yet to right track instead of wast- flict.
deal on an allegedly “unre- the deal earlier this month reconvene in the Austrian ing time,” he said, without On Monday, Iran’s su-
capital, and its unclear elaborating. “We are ready preme leader, Ayatollah
exactly what hurdles lie to reach a strong, good Ali Khamenei, signaled
ahead. and lasting agreement as support for Tehran’s nucle-
Amirabdollahian discussed long it does not cross the Is- ar negotiations to secure
a range of issues with Leba- lamic Republic of Iran’s red sanctions relief a rare refer-
nese officials, including the lines.” ence to the still-halted talks
tiny Mediterranean coun- Iran enjoys wide influence as world powers near a dip-
try’s parliamentary elec- in Lebanon through the Shi- lomatic turning point.
tions due in May, Russia’s ite militant Hezbollah group And last Friday, news of
war in Ukraine and the lat- that Tehran has funded Tehran’s decision to repro-
est developments on ef- and armed since the early cess a fraction of its stock-
forts to resurrect the nucle- 1980s. pile of highly enriched
ar deal. Amirabdollahian arrived uranium into material that
“We believe that if there in Lebanon Thursday from can be used in medicine
is a realistic American vi- neighboring Syria, where instead of enriching further,
sion in dealing with the he met with Syrian Presi- to weapon-grade levels
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, speaks during situation, we will very soon dent Bashar Assad and appears to signal the ne-
a joint press conference with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah
Bouhabib in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, March 24, 2022. see the birth of this nucle- other top officials. gotiations may still see the
Associated Press ar deal,” he said. Asked Iran is a strong ally of Assad parties return to Vienna
about the main obstacles, and has sent thousands of and reach a deal.q