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Taliban Behead School Headmaster

Extremists broke into the home of a headmaster of an Afghan school and beheaded him while forcing his wife and eight children to watch, the latest in a spate of attacks blamed on the Taliban that have forced many schools to close. Four armed men stabbed Malim Abdul Habib, 45, eight times before decapitating him in the courtyard of his home in the town of Qalat late Tuesday.

The insurgents contend that educating girls defies the tenets of Islam, and they oppose government-funded schools for boys because they teach subjects besides religion. The Taliban militia was ousted from power in the U.S.-led invasion in 2001 following the September 11 attacks on New York.

The Taliban when in power had banned music, women from sporting events, and other oppresive measures that have since been repealed since the introduction of democracy to the country. Habib was headmaster and a teacher at a high school attended by 1,300 boys and girls in Zabol province, which borders Pakistan and is a hotbed of Islamic militancy.