Reports: Afghan Education Ministry Cuts Deal With Taliban

No More Attacks on Schools in Return for Curriculum Change

Reports coming out of Afghanistan today say that the Afghan Education Ministry has entered into a secret deal with the Taliban that will end attacks against government-run schools across the nation.

The reports say that the deal was in the offing in 2007 before it was vetoed by the US. After the Taliban offered the deal publicly in 2009 several local school boards jumped at the chance, and after this led to a huge drop in attacks it is now the policy nationwide.

The deal has all schools in the nation using the same curriculum that mujaheddin-run schools used during the Soviet occupation, and would give the Taliban veto power over any religious teachers in the schools.

The move could work in the favor of both the Karzai government and the Taliban, proving the former can actually get a negotiation done and improving the public perception of the latter.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.