Some Taliban sent their daughters to school, new report claims

GlobalPost

A report in the Times of India claims that a top UN official said the Taliban leaders had sent their own daughters to school despite their public opposition to female education.

The report said that UNICEF's India representative, Louis-Georges Arsenault, made the remarks during a speech on education in areas with civil strife.

Arsenault was UNICEF representative to Afghanistan between 1998 and 2001, a period of Taliban rule.

The Taliban forbid girls' education during their rule between 1996 and 2001, even issuing a fatwa against it.

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The militant group, said Arsenault, did this to ensure that women and girls did not distract their soldiers.

The Express Tribune said that UNICEF helped to run schools in country during their rule despite the restrictions.

The news comes during a difficult period for women's education in neighboring Pakistan due to the Taliban.

On Monday, the Pakistani government unveiled the "Malala Plan" for female education named after the young activist who was shot by Taliban gunmen.

The plan gives $10 million in seed funding for female education, said the Telegraph.

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