Afghanistan’s interior minister has promised “very good news” soon about the girls’ return to high school in a rare interview broadcast on CNN on Monday.
In late March, the Taliban, which came to power after the withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country last August, closed high schools and colleges for girls hours after their resumption.
The unexpected turn ordered by Hibatullah Akhundzad, the Taliban’s and the country’s top leader, has outraged many Afghans and the international community.
“I would like to give some explanations. There is no one who opposes education for women, “said Interior Minister Shirajudin Hakani, who has long been one of the Taliban’s top secret leaders and first showed his face in public in March.
He argued that girls could already go to primary school. “Above this class, work is underway on a mechanism that will allow girls to attend high school,” he said in his first television interview.
“Very soon you will hear very good news on this issue,” he said.
Hakani hinted that this “mechanism” was linked to the school dress code, explaining that education should be based on Afghan “culture” and “Islamic rules and principles,” and “more broadly” referring to the problem of wearing women’s hijabs.
After returning to power, the Taliban demanded that women wear at least a hijab, a scarf that covers the head but opens the face.
But since early May, they have instead forced them to wear a full veil in public and preferably a burqa, which was a must when they first ruled the country between 1996 and 2001.
“When someone gives away their daughters or sisters, they do so out of complete trust,” he said.
“We need to create conditions so that we can ensure their honor and security. We are working to guarantee this. “
The Haqqani network, founded by his late father and now headed by him, is accused of carrying out some of the most brutal attacks by the Taliban in Afghanistan in 20 years.
Sirajudin Haqqani himself is still on the FBI’s most wanted list, with a $ 10 million reward for any information that could lead to his arrest.
On CNN, the minister said that “the last 20 years have been a situation of defensive battles and wars,” but he would like to “have good relations with the United States and the international community in the future.”
“We do not see them as enemies,” he said, insisting that the Taliban intend to respect the 2020 agreement with Washington, which pledged not to allow Afghanistan to become a haven again for American-targeted terrorists. .
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