Afghanistan: Haqqania Madrassa Largest Islamic Training Center for Taliban

Deputy head of the largest Islamic training center, Darul Uloom Haqqania Madrassa located in Pakistan, called on the Taliban to fight against the Afghan government and foreign troops on Monday during an exclusive interview with TOLOnews.

Reports indicate that Mullah Omar, the notorious Taliban leader, has awarded the madrassa many times in training newcomers to fight.

"We call on the Afghan Taliban's and ask them what relations do the thousands of foreign troops have with Afghanistan?" asked Mawlana Hafiz-ul-Haq Haqqani, deputy head of the Darul Uloom Haqqania Madrassa. "They should fight against them [foreign troops] and the Afghan government."

More than 4,000 Afghan and Pakistan Taliban are currently being trained by the madrassa. Those who have completed their training join either willingly or forcefully are sent off to fight in Afghanistan targeting military and non-military personnel.

According to a number of Pakistani political experts, during the soviet invasion in Afghanistan many members of the Mujahidin were trained by the madrassa and sent out to defend the country.

"Those who fought against the soviet troops alongside the Mujahidin were trained by the Pakistani madrassas," Mohammad Jan Babur, Pakistani journalist, said.

Political analyst in Pakistan, Shamim Shahid, said the "Taliban regime in Afghanistan are graduates of Pakistan's madrassas."

The Haqqania Madrassa trains more than 4,000 students, but Pakistan has roughly 16,000 active madrassas in the country, of which almost 600,000 students are learning.