The Taliban lashed out at suggestions they are behind the rash of recent school poisonings in Afghanistan, as officials reported the fourth such incident in as many weeks.At least 40 school girls from Bibi Hajera school in the northern Takhar province's capital city Taluqan were poisoned and hospitalised on Sunday, local officials said.
The all-female school already had a poisoning last week which saw as many as 100 schoolgirls hospitalised.
The Taliban released a statement Sunday rejecting allegations that they were responsible for the incidents, saying it was the work of pro-Westerners and enemies of Islam in the country.
Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid blamed Afghan media for tying the cases to them and said that the Americans together with their Afghan colleagues have started media propaganda against them.
"Our aim is clear - our purpose is to fight the invaders and their fellow Afghan supporters. The comments made by these stooges and the pro-invader media are baseless and not true," he said.
The statement carried a warning that the Taliban - which calls itself the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan - will punish anyone found poisoning students.
"The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan strongly condemns these actions and if anyone committing such actions is captured by Taliban, they will be severely punished."
On May 9, local officials in northern Balkh province told TOLOnews that as many as 100 schoolgirls and eight school teachers were taken to hospital after a suspected poisoning of the school's water source.
While in mid April, as many as 150 schoolgirls, also in Takhar, fell ill from a suspected water-source contamination at their school.
Deputy Minister of Education Asef Nang told TOLOnews on Thursday that the Afghan government had not blamed the cases on anyone. "We can't specifically pin this on either the Taliban or Hezb-e-Islami unless they claim the responsibility, but I say it's the job of the enemies of Afghanistan and education," he said.