Rep. Ilhan Omar Condemns Taliban Barring Afghan Girls From School

RICHFIELD, MN — Rep. Ilhan Omar Thursday condemned the Taliban after the faction moves to bar Afghan girls from attending school beyond sixth grade. The Taliban had previously promised not to restrict girls from formal education.

"All kids deserve an education and the opportunity to reach their full potential," Omar said in a statement. "Limiting educational opportunities for girls is not just cruel and inhumane, but harms the entire Afghan society."

"The more young women and girls are able to get an education, the more they are able to contribute to their local economy, serve in public office, and pass along that knowledge to others," Omar continued.

"Before breaking their promise, the Taliban explicitly stated that they saw no religious justification for girls not to attend school because there is none. The dreams of millions of Afghan girls and women shouldn’t be limited and our solidarity with them is needed now more than ever."

The Taliban's move is the latest in a series of edits that signal a return to Afghanistan's repressive government of the 1990s.

In addition to the new rules on education, women are also now barred from boarding planes if they travel unaccompanied by a male relative. Men and women cannot visit public parks together on separate days, and cell phones are banned at universities.

Reporting from the Associated Press was used in this story