Taliban Makes Position Known On Girl Education

The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) says Taliban representatives in some parts of Afghanistan have expressed support for educating girls after they seized control when U.S. troops withdrew, UNICEF’s field operations chief for Afghanistan said on Tuesday.

Mustapha Ben Messaoud, UNICEF's chief of field operations in Afghanistan, said some Taliban local representatives had said they were waiting for guidance on the issue from their leaders, while others have said they want schools to run for girls.

"We are cautiously optimistic on moving forward," he told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.

Islamist movement and military organization, Taliban, recently took over Afghanistan after the collapse of the government.

They swept into Kabul on Sunday, as Afghanistan president fled the country. Many citizens too are leaving.

Heavily armed Taliban fighters fanned out across the capital, and several entered Kabul’s abandoned presidential palace.

Earlier, a Taliban official said the group would announce from the palace the restoration of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, the formal name of the country under Taliban rule before the militants were ousted by U.S.-led forces in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, which were orchestrated by Al-Qaeda while it was being sheltered by the Taliban. But that plan appeared to be on hold.