45 Afghan schoolgirls hospitalized in 'gas attack'

At least 45 schoolgirls were poisoned following a suspected gas attack in Afghanistan's Takhar province on Thursday, police said.

"Up to 45 students of Banan Middle School in Khwaja Bahauddin district were mysteriously poisoned in their classrooms and were taken to hospitals," a police official was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency.

The affected students said they smelled a strange gas when entering classrooms. Frequent gas attacks in girls' schools are blamed on militants opposed to their education.

--IANS

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