Afghan schoolgirls sick after poison attack

The latest case occurred Sunday when 13 girls became sick at school, Kunduz provincial government spokesman Mahbobullah Sayedi said. Another 47 complained of dizziness and nausea on Saturday, and 23 got sick last Wednesday. All complained of a strange smell in class before they fell ill.
None of the illnesses has been serious, and medical officials were still investigating the exact cause. The Health Ministry in Kunduz said blood samples were inconclusive and were being sent to Kabul for further testing.
Sayedi blamed the sickness on “enemies” who oppose education for girls. Presidential spokesman Waheed Omar said any attempt to keep girls out of school is a “terrorist act.”
The Taleban and other conservative extremist groups in Afghanistan who oppose female education have been known to target schoolgirls. Girls were not allowed to attend school when the Taleban controlled most of Afghanistan until they were ousted in the 2001 US-led invasion.
Last year, dozens of schoolgirls were hospitalized in Kapisa province, just northeast of Kabul, after collapsing with headaches and nausea. An unusual smell filled the schoolyard before the students fell ill. The Taleban was blamed, but research into similar mass sickness elsewhere has suggested that some might be the result of group hysteria.
Anesa, a nine-year-old girl who was among those hospitalized Sunday, said she noticed a strange odor and then saw two of her teachers fall unconscious. “I came out from the main hall, and I saw lots of other girls scattered everywhere. They were not feeling good,” Anesa told The Associated Press from hospital. “Then suddenly I felt that I was losing my balance and falling.”
"I was in class when a smell like a flower reached my nose," said another student, Sumaila, 12. "I saw my classmates and my teacher collapse and when I opened my eyes I was in hospital."
A Taleban spokesman denied the group was responsible, but said other anti-government groups could be to blame. "We strongly condemn such an act that targeted innocent schoolgirls by poisonous gas," Taleban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told Reuters by telephone from an undisclosed location.
Azizullah Safar, head of the main hospital in Kunduz, said many of the girls were still suffering from pain, dizziness and vomiting.
In the south and east of the country, where the Taleban control towns and villages, schools for girls remain shut, teachers have been threatened and some girls have been attacked with acid.
Despite the attacks, Sumaila said she hoped to return to school, if her father allows her. "I am very scared. My parents were very worried. My father told me that I have learned a lot. I don't know whether they will still let me go to school after this," she said.