Afghans Bust Schoolgirl Acid Attackers

Assault was 'work of the Taliban': minister

By Matt Cantor, Newser Staff

Posted Nov 25, 2008 8:00 AM CST

(Newser) – Afghan officials have nabbed 10 Taliban militants accused of throwing acid in the faces of eight schoolgirls and four female teachers, Reuters reports. President Hamid Karzai called for their arrest and said the group would be publicly executed. “The attack was the work of the Taliban and we have not finalized our investigation,” said a deputy minister. The Islamist group didn't allow girls to be educated while it held power in Afghanistan; members deny responsibility for the attacks.

Shamsia Husainai, 17, rests on a hospital bed while Masuma, center, speaks with Afghan Education Minister Farooq Wardak in Kabul after an acid attack on her Wednesday in Kandahar, Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Shamsia Husainai, 17, rests on a hospital bed in Kabul after an acid attack on her Wednesday in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Friday, Nov 14, 2008. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Atifa Bibi, an Afghan school girl, recovers in a hospital after two men on a motorbike threw acid on her in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

An Afghan medic treats Atifa Bibi, an Afghan school girl, in a hospital after two men on a motorbike threw acid on her in Kandahar, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008. (AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

40 Dead in Pakistan Suicide Attack

Suicide bomber hits mosque during Friday prayers

(AP) - A suicide bomber struck a mosque in a Pakistani tribal region during Friday prayers, officials said, killing at least 40 people and wounding 85 others in the deadliest attack in the country in recent weeks. Some 300 people had gathered for prayers this afternoon in the Sunni mosque, and many were on their way out when the explosion occurred. "All the evidence we have gathered confirms that it is a suicide attack," a local official said. More»

Pakistan Flood Chaos Gives Militants Chance to Regroup

Attacks rising as police, military focus on relief operation

(NEWSER) - Islamic militants are making the most of the floods devastating Pakistan, warn officials. With the military and police occupied by relief work, militants have taken the opportunity to regroup in the country's northwest, the Los Angeles Times reports. Hundreds of militants attacked police near Peshawar this week, and two tribal elders working with anti-Taliban militias have been assassinated. More»

Taliban Publicly Stones Couple Over Affair

Crowd of about 100 killed adulterers

(NEWSER) - The Taliban had a couple publicly executed by stoning in Afghanistan yesterday, because “they had an affair,” the governor of the Imam Sahib district tells the Daily Telegraph . About 100 people, many of them Taliban insurgents, gathered to hurl rocks at the couple, who were forced to stand, bound, in an empty field. The woman, 23, was engaged, and the man, 28, was married. More»

CIA Drones Batter Pakistan Militants

'Fast and furious' drone campaign hits Qaeda, Taliban hard

(NEWSER) - Stepped-up CIA drone attacks in the Pakistani region of North Waziristan have hit al-Qaeda and the Taliban hard in recent months, forcing many militants to retreat to mountain tunnels and placing the Haqqani leaders under increasing pressure. Bombardment of the militant stronghold has become "fast and furious" this year, the New York Times reports in an article that offers a rare look at the situation in the inaccessible region. More»

3 US Soldiers Killed in Attack on Pakistan Girls' School

Bomb targets convoy traveling to school's opening ceremony

(NEWSER) - Three US soldiers were among at least 10 people killed when the Pakistani Taliban targeted the opening ceremony of a girls' school today. At least 70 people, including many schoolgirls, were injured when a roadside blast hit a group traveling in a convoy guarded by a military escort, the BBC reports. The American soldiers were said to have been training Pakistani troops in counterinsurgency. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

Afghans Bust Schoolgirl Acid Attackers

Assault was 'work of the Taliban': minister

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Taliban • Islamic militants • arrest • student • public executions • acid

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

40 Dead in Pakistan Suicide Attack

Suicide bomber hits mosque during Friday prayers

Pakistan Flood Chaos Gives Militants Chance to Regroup

Attacks rising as police, military focus on relief operation

Taliban Publicly Stones Couple Over Affair

Crowd of about 100 killed adulterers

CIA Drones Batter Pakistan Militants

'Fast and furious' drone campaign hits Qaeda, Taliban hard

3 US Soldiers Killed in Attack on Pakistan Girls' School

Bomb targets convoy traveling to school's opening ceremony

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?

Afghans Bust Schoolgirl Acid Attackers

Assault was 'work of the Taliban': minister

Bookmark & Share

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

Taliban • Islamic militants • arrest • student • public executions • acid

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

40 Dead in Pakistan Suicide Attack

Suicide bomber hits mosque during Friday prayers

Pakistan Flood Chaos Gives Militants Chance to Regroup

Attacks rising as police, military focus on relief operation

Taliban Publicly Stones Couple Over Affair

Crowd of about 100 killed adulterers

CIA Drones Batter Pakistan Militants

'Fast and furious' drone campaign hits Qaeda, Taliban hard

3 US Soldiers Killed in Attack on Pakistan Girls' School

Bomb targets convoy traveling to school's opening ceremony

About Us

Site

Newser By Users

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?