Facing Backlash, Afghanistan Government Withdraws Ban on Schoolgirls Singing in Public
Last week s controversial memo came as the government negotiates a power-sharing deal with the Taliban, and critics said it recalled rules the group imposed during its 1990s rule, when it banned girls from school.
Afghan schoolgirls read in chorus at a class at the Bariky Chaedam primary school in the outskirts of Bamiyan August 31, 2005. Women were banned from studying during the Taliban regime. Photo: Reuters/Zohra Bensemra
Women17/Mar/2021
Kabul: Afghanistan’s government has backtracked on an attempt to ban schoolgirls over the age of 12 from reciting poems or singing at public events, following public outcry and criticism from cultural figures and rights campaigners.
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During weekend airstrikes against Kandahar Province, Afghan officials claimed huge death tolls. Locals are now saying that among those were 13 civilians killed when airstrikes hit their homes.
The Defense Ministry confirmed it was aware of the reports, while the police dismissed them, claiming that the Taliban had planted mines that exploded and were responsible for the deaths.
The UN is reporting that civilian casualties are on the decline, but warn the toll remains shocking, and more needs to be done.