Afghan School Teacher Beheaded

Suspected Taliban insurgents beheaded Abdul Habib, a school teacher, late Tuesday in central Afghanistan.

Family members found Habib’s decapitated body at home, not far from his school in Zabul province, Voice of America reported Wednesday.

Government spokesman Ali Khail says unknown assailants broke into the headmaster’s house. He says neighbors called the police after they heard Habib screaming, but by the time officials reached the scene, the popular teacher was dead.

The murder is the latest in an apparent terror campaign targeting teachers and schools in Afghanistan. Posters threatening teachers have been distributed throughout the past year and at least half a dozen schools in Southern Afghanistan have been set on fire.

In December, suspected Taliban gunmen in Kandahar dragged a teacher from his classroom, killing him as his students watched from the nearby school.

In Zabul, where Habib was assassinated Tuesday, officials say security concerns have closed more than half the province’s schools. Officials say Taliban insurgents are in particular targeting schools and teachers that support girls’ education.