Afghan schoolgirls targeted again?

Dozens of schoolgirls in Kunduz, Afghanistan, have fallen ill. The cause of the illness is unclear - but local authorities suspect foul play. This is not so far-fetched as the Taliban have in the past attacked schoolgirls in Afghanistan - including throwing acid on the faces of fifteen girls, and have bombed hundreds of schools in Pakistan. The resilience of Afghan girls is amazing! But going to school should not be such an ordeal. Here is the news report from the BBC:

Scores of schoolgirls in the Afghan province of Kunduz have fallen ill over the past week, in what authorities allege is mass poisoning by insurgents.

On Sunday, 13 girls were taken ill. This follows two separate incidents earlier in the week when about 70 girls complained of dizziness and nausea. An inquiry has already begun, health officials told the BBC.

The Taliban - which oppposes female education - denies carrying out an attack, the Reuters news agency says. The girls said they noticed a strange smell in class before the onset of their symptoms, but health officials said the gas remains unidentified. None of the symptoms experienced by the girls are reported to to be serious.

Read the full story here. Also check out these earlier posts:

Poisoning of schoolgirls and a map of conflict

Taliban, education, and diary of a 7th grade schoolgirl from Swat