Afghan Schoolgirls Poisoned

Afghanistan's education minister has threatened to punish schoolgirls who claim to suffer from alleged "poisonings" that many officials believe are actually temporary psychological illnesses.

As many as 74 schoolgirls in Afghanistan's far north fell sick after smelling gas and were being examined for possible poisoning, local officials said on Sunday.

Over 120 schoolgirls in Afghanistan fell sick following a suspected poison attack by the Taliban, a media report said.Most of the girls were treated and discharged, but 30 of them were still under treatment, an official told the BBC.

About 150 Afghan schoolgirls were poisoned on Tuesday after drinking contaminated water at a high school in the country's north, officials said, blaming it on conservative radicals opposed to female education. Since the 2001 toppling of the Taliban, which banned education for women and girls, females have returned to schools, especially in Kabul.

Afghanistan's education minister has threatened to punish schoolgirls who claim to suffer from alleged "poisonings" that many officials believe are actually temporary psychological illnesses.

As many as 74 schoolgirls in Afghanistan's far north fell sick after smelling gas and were being examined for possible poisoning, local officials said on Sunday.

Over 120 schoolgirls in Afghanistan fell sick following a suspected poison attack by the Taliban, a media report said.Most of the girls were treated and discharged, but 30 of them were still under treatment, an official told the BBC.

About 150 Afghan schoolgirls were poisoned on Tuesday after drinking contaminated water at a high school in the country's north, officials said, blaming it on conservative radicals opposed to female education. Since the 2001 toppling of the Taliban, which banned education for women and girls, females have returned to schools, especially in Kabul.