Schools to reopen in Afghan district after deal with Taliban

Kabul, April 8 (IANS) Dozens of public schools that were shut down by the Taliban in an area under its control south of Kabul are set to reopen after a deal was reached with the group, an Afghan official said.

Salim Saleh, a spokesman for the provincial governor of Logar, said that classes "are expected to resume in the afternoon on April 7 or April 8" in at least 30 schools in the province's Charkh district after a week-long interruption.

The Taliban closed the schools on March 31 after several militants and one of their commanders were killed in a night raid by government forces.

Afghan media earlier reported that Mualvi Mohammad, a Taliban commander, was killed in the Afghan army operation in the area late on March 30.

Saleh told RFE/RL online on April 7 that the deal to reopen the school was reached after negotiations between the Taliban and tribal elders in the area.

The official had previously said that authorities were in contact with influential tribal elders and religious scholars in Charkh in an attempt to secure the schools' reopening.

Saleh said the Taliban's move left some 12,000 students out of school in Charkh, which is about 60 kilometers south of the Afghan capital.

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