Girls’ education activist arrested by Taliban

The founder of a project that campaigned for girls' education in Afghanistan has been detained by Taliban authorities in Kabul, his brother and the United Nations said yesterday. The Taliban government last year barred girls from attending secondary school and later university, making Afghanistan the only country in the world to issue such restrictions on education. Matiullah Wesa, the head of PenPath was stopped by men outside a mosque after prayers on Monday evening, his brother Samiullah Wesa told AFP. "When Matiullah asked for their identity cards, they beat him and forcefully took him away," he said. "He has been arrested for his activities in the education sector."