US envoy urges Taliban to reverse decision over schools’ closure

KABUL (Khaama Press): The United States special representative for Afghanistan Thomas West has once again urged the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to heed the calls of the Afghan religious scholars and elders and reverse their decision over the ban on girls’ schools. Thomas West took to his Twitter account and wrote that the ban on secondary schools for Afghan girls contradicts the Taliban’s assurances in regards to rights to education for all Afghans.
“These restrictions contradict the Taliban’s repeated assurances to Afghans, violate the rights of women and girls, and undermine the country’s future.” Said West. The US envoy further wrote that he spoke with former Afghan president Hamid Karzai and conveyed his deepest condolences over “barbaric” attacks on a school and educational center.
Speaking to Karzai, Thomas West also expressed concern over the Taliban’s continued restrictions on girls’ education. It has been over 200 days since the last time teenage girls in Afghanistan went to schools across the country. Despite, backlashes inside and out of the country, the Taliban are yet to send a positive signal for reopening girls’ schools.