In Afghanistan, girls' education provides incentive to kill

The Independent reported that increased insurgency by the Taliban Islamist zealots has led to a surge in civilian casualties. Mohammad Halim, a 46-year-old schoolteacher, was dragged away by gunmen in the night, as his family watched helplessly. He was later partly-disemboweled, tied to motorbikes and torn apart. His remains were put on display as a warning to others, who like Halim, refuse to keep girls at home and out of schools. Four teachers persisting in the education of girls have been killed so far in Ghazni, Halim’s home province. Fatima Mushtaq, director of education at Ghazni, was beaten by the Taliban during their rule for running secret schools at her home. Now the Taliban taunts her and her family with repeated death threats, known notoriously by those who dare resist the radical Islamist group as “night letters.”

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