Taliban deny claims girls will be banned from school -- but don't say when they'll be allowed in

The Taliban have denied claims that Afghan women would be banned from secondary schools after calling on boys, but not girls, to resume education, claiming they needed to set up a "secure transportation system" for female students before allowing them back into classrooms.

The Taliban Ministry of Education ordered male students and teachers from the 6th to the 12th grade to report to their schools on Saturday. The announcement, issued on Friday, did not mention female students at all, sowing fears that girls would once again be excluded from secondary education.

When last in power between 1996 and 2001, the militant group banned women and girls from education and work and severely restricted their rights.