PARIS/KABUL, Aug 11 (Reuters) - The Taliban have barred an estimated 2.4 million Afghan girls from secondary education since they regained power in Afghanistan in 2021, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said ‌on Tuesday. Afghanistan is the only country where girls and women are formally banned ​from secondary and higher education, UNESCO said in its statement. Despite those promises, secondary schools were closed for girls in March 2022, followed by a ban on women studying in universities in December 2022. In 2025 alone, 3 ​million people returned to Afghanistan, either forcibly ‌or voluntarily, placing further pressure on the schools. Since 2021, natural disasters including earthquakes and floods have ​forced the closure of 1,000 schools, UNESCO said.