Taliban Leader’s Eid Message Avoids Addressing Reopening of Girls’ Schools in Afghanistan

In an Eid message attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban leader, the issue of reopening girls’ schools in Afghanistan has not been addressed. Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesperson published the Taliban leader’s message on Tuesday.

In the message, however, the Taliban has claimed that the group has expanded its educational activities throughout Afghanistan.

The message stated that the education of "children" is one of the obligations of the Taliban government and the group will take effective measures to support this goal.

Meanwhile, it has been almost 600 days since the Taliban closed girls' schools above the sixth grade in Afghanistan. The group has also banned girls and women from university-level education.

The Taliban leader also addressed foreign affairs issues in Afghanistan in his Eid message. The message stated that the Taliban wants to have good relations with neighbouring countries and the world. The message stated, "As Afghanistan does not want to interfere in the internal affairs of any other country, it emphasises that other countries should not interfere in our internal affairs."

The Taliban leader’s Eid message addressed the issue of the promotion of virtue and prevention of vice also and stressed that the Taliban government and Afghan citizens must cooperate with the ministry in charge of addressing vice and virtue.

The leader of the Taliban also said that the Taliban government has implemented "significant reforms in culture, education, economy, and media" and stressed that the moral and cultural impacts of the occupation of Afghanistan are ending.

Although the Taliban occasionally publishes messages and decrees attributed to Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, has not been seen in public yet.