Afghan leader condemns school ban

KABUL,(AFP)

Afghan President Hamid Karzai Friday condemned a ban on female education by Taliban extremists in troubled northwestern Pakistan, calling it un-Islamic and a way to oppress the area's Pashtuns.

A Taliban commander in Pakistan's Swat valley has banned girls from attending school, this week threatening to kill any female students who went to class after January 15, local officials said.Karzai called the move "un-Islamic and inhuman", saying in a statement that Afghanistan had experienced similar "terrorist" threats against education in the south, an area where Taliban insurgents have strong influence.

"Based on Islamic responsibility and humanity for our Pashtun brothers and sisters, we condemn every step which causes this large tribe backwardness and misfortune," he said."These kinds of elements, through releasing such statements, want to deprive Pashtun children of education so that they will always be needy."