Officials in Helmand say that apart from the capital, Lashkar Gah, and the adjacent district of Greshk, female students in the remaining 12 districts of the vast southern province bordering Pakistan have not finished 12th grade. Rasuli says that insecurity due to nearly constant fighting between insurgents and the government and international forces cannot be portrayed as the key reason stopping girls from obtaining education. Helmand, the size of Switzerland, has been a key Taliban bastion since the emergence of the hard-line Islamist movement in neighboring Kandahar in the s. But as the insurgency gained strength after the departure of most NATO troops in , the Taliban began to control territories. While the Taliban have allowed the government to continue providing limited healthcare and education, they tightly control all aspects of life in these territories and residents are even not allowed to even listen to music or radio. Attaullah Afghan, head of the provincial council in Helmand, is urging the authorities to invest in education by first upgrading the current elementary and middle schools to include high schools.
Life changed into chaos at once," says Gul Mohammad. The year-old teacher is struggling to recall how he managed to dodge shellfire and save the 25 members of his family from fighting raging once more in Helmand in southern Afghanistan. Despite peace talks, a new Taliban offensive is under way. Just a few days before it began Gul Mohammad, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, had been decorating his garden. As its centrepiece stood a tall tree festooned with balloons - for the family to celebrate the school graduation of their youngest daughter.
Beneath the anonymity of the sky-blue burqa, Saliha's slender frame and voice betray her young age. Asked why she was serving seven years in jail alongside hardened insurgents and criminals, the year-old giggled and buried her head in her friend's shoulder. Asked whether she had loved the boy, Saliha squirmed with childish embarrassment as her friend replied: "Yes. Ostracised from her family and village, Saliha was convicted of escaping from home and illegal sexual relations. The first carries a maximum penalty of 10 years, the second
Thousands of families are fleeing their homes as heavy fighting between government forces and the Taliban rages in Afghanistan's Helmand province. It is the third day of violent clashes as Afghan forces try to defend the strategic capital of the province, Lashkar Gah, from a Taliban assault. The latest fighting is the first big Taliban offensive since peace talks between the two sides began last month. Large parts of Helmand and neighbouring Kandahar remain without electricity after the Taliban attacked a power substation on Monday.