» 11/13/2008 20:13 AFGHANISTAN Acid thrown in faces of five young women in Kandahar, "guilty" of going to school Responsibility for the crime is attributed to the Taliban, who have an extensive presence in the area. During their government, they imposed an absolute ban on any form of education for females.
Kabul (AsiaNews/Agencies) - "Guilty" of going to school, five female Afghan students have been splashed with acid in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan. In the area with the greatest presence of the Taliban, the incident clearly seems to be an attempt to intimidate all girls, who under the regime of the Koranic scholars were strictly prohibited from studying.
The young women, easily recognized by their uniforms - black slacks, white shirt, black vest and veil - were going to school when they were approached by men on a motorcycle. "One of them threw acid on my sister's face," 16-year-old Latefa tells Aljazeera. "I tried to help her and then they threw acid on me too."
When people approach to find out what was happening, the young woman says, the two assailants fled.
Shamsia, who is 18 years old, has been hospitalized in serious condition. It appears that the young women were attacked with acid taken from car batteries.
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