"We are not deleting them": Afghanistan's Taliban promise progress on girls' schooling soon

Waheedullah Hashimi, Director of External Programmes and Aid at the Ministry of Education, speaks during an interview in Kabul, Afghanistan October 31, 2021. Picture taken on October 31, 2021. REUTERS/Yosri Al Jamal

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghanistan's Taliban government said it would announce good news soon on older girls being allowed to go back to school, but urged the international community to help it fund the process as most external aid has been halted.

Ensuring rights for women and girls has been one of the most sensitive issues facing the Taliban since they seized power in August, with international bodies demanding proof they were being respected before any discussion of formal recognition of the new government.