World Bank freezes Afghan projects after Taliban bans girls from high school

FILE PHOTO: An Afghan schoolgirl reads from her notebook as another unpacks her school bag inside a house in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 23, 2022. REUTERS/Charlotte Greenfield

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The World Bank has put four projects in Afghanistan worth $600 million on hold amid concerns over a decision by the country's ruling Islamist leaders to ban girls from returning to public high schools, the bank said.

The projects, to be funded under the revamped Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund, were being readied for implementation by United Nations agencies to support projects in agriculture, education, health, and livelihoods.