The Taliban prohibition on girls’ education shows the movement’s ultra-conservatives retain tight control of the Islamist group, and exposes a power struggle that puts at risk crucial aid for Afghanistan’s desperate population, experts say. "The order was devastating," a senior Taliban member told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Officials have never justified the ban, apart from saying the education of girls must be according to "Islamic principles." A senior Taliban member said the hardliners were trying to appease thousands of fighters who hail from the deeply conservative countryside. Even some senior Taliban officials agree.

Source: Manila Times April 16, 2022 00:40 UTC