Unidentified gunmen burnt a school building, where hundreds of copies of the holy Quran had been stored, in the northern province of Jawzjan, officials said. The gunmen entered the middle school in Alamleek village of Mordyan district, wounded two security guards and set the building on fire, the deputy governor said.
Faqir Mohammad Jawzjani said the injured guards were taken to hospital, where they were in stable condition. Residents rushed to the school to control the blaze, he added. But the bookstore having hundreds of copies of the Quran was burnt before residents reached the school, Jawzjani explained, accusing the Taliban of the arson attack on the school.
However, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied the allegation as baseless and said the school had been set alight by the “enemies of people and education”. Afghanistan’s foes could not deprive children of education by burning schools, said a resident of the area, Mohammad Zaman. It is the first time that a school has been torched in Jawzjan, according to Education Director Abdul Hai Yashin. He also confirmed the burning of the holy Quran.