Former EU Diplomat Warns of Taliban Ideological Influence on Afghan Youth

DID Press: A former European diplomat has warned about the expansion of Taliban-controlled religious schools in Afghanistan, saying hundreds of thousands of young Afghans are being educated in these institutions where the United States and Pakistan are portrayed as enemies.

Michael Semple, a former European diplomat with extensive experience and a long history of working in Afghanistan, warned about the influence of the expanding network of religious schools under Taliban control on the country’s younger generation.

Semple claimed that under the leadership of Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group has established a large number of religious schools across Afghanistan, with hundreds of thousands of young people receiving education at these institutions.

Referring to the educational content of the schools, Semple said Afghan youths are taught to view the United States and Pakistan as enemies.

He also described the Taliban’s control of territory and its extensive network of religious schools as factors that have increased the group’s capacity to influence Afghan society, warning about the potential consequences for the younger generation and the country’s future.

Semple previously served as deputy to the European Union special representative for Afghanistan and has worked on Afghanistan and Pakistan for decades. The Queen’s University Belfast also says his recent research has focused on Taliban ideology and what the movement teaches its cadres.