Taliban minister ‘forced to flee Afghanistan’ after speech in support of girls’ education

Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, Taliban's deputy foreign minister, left for UAE after criticising ban on secondary school and higher education for girls

A senior Taliban minister who expressed support for reversing the ban on girls' education in Afghanistan appears to have been forced to flee the country.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony in Khost province, near the Afghan-Pakistani border, on 20 January, Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai, the Taliban's deputy foreign minister, criticised the government's ban on girls attending secondary schools and higher education.