In a madrassa in the Afghan capital, rows of teenage girls rock back and forth reciting verses of the Koran under the watchful eye of a religious scholar. The number of Islamic schools has grown across Afghanistan since the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, with teenage girls increasingly attending classes after they were banned from secondary schools.
A teacher of the madrassa was arrested last week for his suspected links with terror outfits – Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent and Ansarul Bangla Team.