RASC News Agency: Local sources in Panjshir report a girls’ school was deliberately set on fire in the province. The incident occurred around 9:30 PM on Sunday, September 29, in the Paranda Valley, part of Bazarak in Panjshir. Taliban officials have confirmed the fire, claiming it was extinguished by their forces. However, local residents dispute this, accusing the Taliban of lying. According to witnesses, the Taliban indulged in celebration while the school and all its possessions burned.
Abdullah Farooqi, spokesperson for Panjshir’s police command, stated that three individuals had been arrested in connection with the incident. This follows a series of arson attacks in the region, including the burning of the homes of Fazal Ahmad Manawi, former Minister of Justice, and Zahir Aghbar, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tajikistan, as well as several schools and the Department of Education building in Panjshir.
Taliban officials have consistently downplayed these fires, attributing them to “accidents” or the “negligence” of their fighters. However, local residents insist that these actions are deliberate and vengeful. Over the past three years, the Taliban have revealed their deep-seated hostility toward women’s education, a sentiment that has extended to the destruction of educational institutions. The burning of girls’ schools by the Taliban is not a new phenomenon; over the past two decades, they have set fire to dozens of schools across Afghanistan. Since their takeover, they have converted many of these schools into military bases, reinforcing their disdain for female educatlion.
