‘What have we done wrong?’

The Taliban ordered girls' secondary schools in Afghanistan to shut yesterday just hours after they reopened, sparking heartbreak and confusion over the policy reversal by the hardline Islamist group.

The U-turn was announced after thousands of girls resumed lessons for the first time since August, when the Taliban seized control of the country and imposed harsh restrictions on women.

The education ministry offered no coherent explanation even as officials held a ceremony in the capital to mark the start of the academic year, saying it was a matter for the country's leadership.

A Taliban source told AFP the decision came after a meeting late Tuesday by senior officials in the southern city of Kandahar, the movement's de facto power centre and conservative spiritual heartland.

Crestfallen girls at Zarghona High School in the capital, Kabul, tearfully packed up their belongings after teachers halted the lesson.

For Atiya Azimi the joy of school opening was shockingly brief.

"Suddenly we were told to leave until another order is issued," said Azimi, who was returning to grade 12 at Zarghona Girls School.

"What have we done wrong? Why should women and girls face this situation? I ask the Islamic Emirate to start our classes."

US special envoy to Afghanistan Rina Amiri said the move "weakens confidence in the Taliban commitments".