DUSHANBE, May 22, Asia-Plus – A group of Tajik teenagers aged 10 to 15, who were allegedly trained at terrorist camps in some countries, have been returned home, Asia-Plus has learned from Nozirjon Bouriyev, a spokesman for the State Committee for National Security.
“With support of newly brought to light theologians, these children were illegally sent to some Muslim countries for allegedly studying at religious schools there,” said Bouriyev, “But actually, instead of learning Islamic teachings, the children were learning basics of terrorist and diversion activities.”
Besides, the children had undergone physical and moral violence, the spokesman said. “Thus, for the purpose of making psychological influence on them, the teachers were beating the children, making them watch films and videos about mojaheds and shahids with numerous scenes of violence and murders,” Bouriyev said.
According to him, the children were sent to those countries with consent of their patents, who had wanted their children to become clerics. “Actually, those centers were training the children to make them real terrorists in order that in future they could be used in terrorist campaigns in various countries,” Bouriyev said.
“Many of these children stayed at the terrorist camps for 5-6 years,” said the spokesman, “The majority of them have to date been returned home and at present they are in good condition.”
According to some data, some one hundred Tajik teenagers were illegally sent to Muslim countries to study at religious schools there.
We will recall that the Tajik authorities last months closed down an in-house religious school in Dushanbe, where children were learning the Arabic alphabet and basic Islamic teachings. The law enforcement authorities accused the teacher of beating the children. In March, dozens of unregistered mosques were shut down in Dushanbe. The unregistered mosques were asked to register or face closure. 57 mosques were temporarily shuttered in Dushanbe’s Sino district.
