Date: 12 November 2008

Location: Kandahar City, Afghanistan

Type of event: terrorism

Description:

A group of girls walking to school in Kandahar City, Afghanistan, were attacked at about 8:00 AM with acid by two men on a motorcycle. The men sprayed acid on the group of eight girls (15 girls in some reports), of whom three were seriously burned, three were treated and released from a hospital, and two were protected by full-length burkas and were uninjured. At least two of the seriously burned girls were blinded by the attack. According to some reports the men ripped headscarves off the girls before spraying them with acid. The girls' school, Mirwais Minna Girl's High School, was empty the following day with none of the 1500 students showing for school. Reported ages for injured girls include 14, 16, and 18.

Consequences: 15 injured

References:

• AP, 14 Nov. 2008, "Acid attack keeps Afghan girls away from school," MSNBC, on line [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27713077/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/t/acid-attack-keeps-afghan-girls-away-school/#.T49xOdX9aY8].
• CBC News, 12 Nov. 2008, "Afghan schoolgirls burned by acid attack by men on motorcycle," CBC, on line [http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2008/11/12/afghan-girls.html?ref=rss].
• CNN, 12 Nov. 2008, "Two schoolgirls blinded in acid attack in Afghanistan," CNN.com, on line [http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/11/12/afghanistan.acid.attack/].
• CTV, 13 Nov. 2008, "About 1,500 schoolgirls stay home after acid attack," CTV.ca, on line [http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20081112/afghanistan_girls_081113/20081113?hub=World].
• Farmer, Ben, 13 Nov. 2008, "Afghan schoolgirls sprayed with acid," Telegraph, on line [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/3446627/Afghan-schoolgirls-sprayed-with-acid.html].

© 2017 by Wm. Robert Johnston.
Last modified 3 December 2017.
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