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School under fire in clash between police and insurgents

PRESS RELEASE, Kabul, May 3, 2004

A school in Ibrahim Khil in Zurmat district, Paktia province, was attacked in a nightly gun battle between Afghan police and unknown forces on 1 May. Several police and one civilian are reported to have been killed in the clash, which also involved US helicopters firing rockets to defend the post from the attackers. The school is supported by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA) and has 366 students in classes in classes 1-6, including 59 girls.

Reports state that a security post had been established by police inside the school premises. The reasons for this are unclear and the matter is being investigated by the Swedish Committee, the NGO which constructed most of the buildings and which now supports the school through teaching material, salaries and training of teachers.

Initial information states that four policemen were killed and several wounded in the gun battle which lasted for several hours. There are also unconfirmed reports that a civilian was killed when the school was hit by rockets. Two class rooms were seriously damaged and all windows and doors were destroyed in the attack.

“We are deeply disturbed and worried by this incident. First of all, we cannot see any justification for police posts inside schools. This makes them “valid targets” for anti-government forces and endangers the lives of innocent civilians, including children. This is a clear breach of the UN convention on the Rights of the Child. Furthermore, we condemn the actions of all militants and the damage caused by their actions.” says Jesper Jensen, Country Director of SCA.

The governing board of SCA will report the incident to the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission and to relevant ministries and authorities. SCA also intends to express concerns to the leadership of the Coalition forces and to US Embassies in Stockholm and Kabul.

The UN have suspended missions on the Zurmat-Sharan road and have advised staff to restrict movements to the city centre.

The SCA Education Programme has been in operation for almost twenty years and currently supports around 450 schools with 250,000 students and 6400 teachers in Afghanistan. Approximately 30% of students in SCA supported schools are girls.

The incident in Paktia follows a recent wave of attacks on four girls’ schools in Keshem (Badakshan), Panjshir, Laghman and Logar, actions which have been previously reported and condemned.

For more information about this incident and the SCA Education programme, please contact:

Natasha Brieger, Information Coordinator
Swedish Committee for Afghanistan
(Zarghona Maidan Street, opp Jamhoriat Hosp.) Kabul, Afghanistan
Email scainfocoord@brain.net.pk, Phone: +93-(0)70-299 290