Student slayings worry parents, girls in Afghanistan

“I do not want to go to school,” 12-year-old Maryam told her father in Sadaat in the central Afghan province of Logar, where gunmen recently killed two schoolgirls. “I am afraid,” the traumatized girl begged her parents. “I will not let anyone harm you,” Maryam’s father said. Maryam witnessed the slaying June 12 of two fellow students in front of her school in Sadaat village, a suburb of Pul-i-Alam, the provincial capital of Logar Province, some 30 kilometers west of Kabul. The incident has sparked widespread worries among many parents who fear for the safety of their daughters. According to provincial officials, many female students have been absent from school since the shooting occurred a week ago. Read the complete article at the United Nation news website.