The Taliban on Tuesday disclosed that Afghan girls will be allowed to return to school ‘as soon as possible’, after their movement faced shock and fury over their effective exclusion of women and girls from public life.
The hardliners’ spokesman in the meantime, announced the remaining members of Afghanistan’s new all-male government, weeks after the militants seized Kabul in an offensive that shocked the world.
The Taliban were notorious for their brutal, oppressive rule from 1996 to 2001 when women were largely barred from work and school, including being banned from leaving their homes unless accompanied by a male relative.
One month after seizing power and pledging a softer version of their previous regime, the Islamists have incrementally stripped away at Afghans’ freedoms.
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During the weekend, the education ministry issued a diktat ordering male teachers and students back to secondary school — but made no mention of the country’s women educators and girl pupils.
At a press conference in Kabul, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said of the return of girls to school: ‘We are finalising things… it will happen as soon as possible.’
He added that ‘a safe learning environment‘ needed to be established beforehand.
The Taliban announced their new leadership earlier in September, drawn up exclusively from loyalist ranks.
Announcing the final line-up on Tuesday, Mujahid made no reference to the now closed women’s affairs ministry. No female ministers were named.
The Taliban now face the colossal task of ruling Afghanistan, an aid-dependent country whose economic troubles have only deepened since the Islamists seized power and outside funding was frozen.
AFRICA DAILY NEWS, NEW YORK
