Afghanistan Times
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AT-KABUL: The National Directorate of Security (NDS), Afghanistan’s premier spy agency, on Sunday rescued two children from the clutches of the Taliban, who were allegedly forced to carry out suicide attacks.
In a press statement issued here, the spy agency said that its operatives carried out a raid in the volatile Helmand province to free the children, who are said to be brothers.
The NDS identified the two brothers as Mohammad Amin, 12, and Fazl Amin, 9. The two were shifted from Panjwai district of Kandahar to Helmand by a Taliban commander Rahmatullah. Commander of the insurgent group pretended to the children’s family that he would enroll the two boys in a religious school.
The two brothers were chained by the Taliban, so they could not escape. The children were handed over to their family by the NDS personnel.
The NDS asked families to keep close eyes on their children as insurgents are recruiting kids under the pretext of enrollment in religious schools.
According to security officials, most of the children used by the insurgent groups as suicide bombers are indoctrinated through madaris (religious schools). Almost all students of the seminaries belong to poor families because parents caught by financial problems gladly agree to send their children to religious schools where their children would get free education and food. A significant majority of suicide bombers in the country are believed to be between the ages of 12 and 18.
The militant groups choose seminaries as first place to recruit potential suicide bombers as children live far away from home with no check from parents and are easy to brainwash.
