RASC News Agency: In the Kandahar Province, reports have surfaced indicating that certain religious schools affiliated with the Taliban are imparting “jihadi education” to children in Urdu. One of these educational institutions, the “Talim al-Islam” religious school, maintains an affiliation with an advisor to a prominent Taliban leader. Sources disclosed on January 16th that children ranging from eight to fourteen years old are enrolled in these religious schools. The “Talim al-Islam” institution, operational in Kandahar for approximately 17 years, has been instructing in Urdu since the Taliban’s resurgence in the country. Mohammad Omar Al-Khattabi, the head of this religious school, concurrently oversees analogous institutions in Uruzgan and Helmand provinces, where numerous children are presently undergoing religious education.
Within the confines of the Islamic Religious School, Mullahs have purportedly been instilling a sense of apprehension among students, emphasizing the imperative of engaging in jihad against non-Muslim countries. They underscore that in the event of any losses incurred from non-Islamic nations, students should partake in “practical Jihad.” Despite the Taliban’s overarching focus on educational initiatives in religious schools across diverse provinces, including the establishment of new educational institutions to amplify their influence, these specific religious schools in Kandahar Province persistently prioritize Jihadi teachings.
The exposure of children as young as eight years old to such extremist ideologies is disconcerting. The Taliban’s steadfast emphasis on Jihadi education in these religious schools raises profound concerns about the enduring impact on the students and the potential ramifications for regional stability.
