Taliban says it found weapons in seized Afghan Shia seminary
The Taliban administration said after taking control of Khatam al-Nabiyyin seminary, the largest academic and religious centre for Afghanistan’s Shiites, that dozens of weapons and military equipment had been found in the centre’s storage. The claim comes after officials at the seminary had earlier rejected the Taliban administration’s assertion that the land on which the building stands was unlawfully taken.
The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice says the seminary building was constructed on land that, according to the administration, was seized unlawfully. Taliban forces evacuated the centre this week and took control of it.
The Taliban said three rocket launchers, two PK machine guns, 30 Kalashnikov rifles, 10 walkie-talkies and some other military equipment were being kept in the centre’s storage. The administration has not yet clarified whether these weapons are the same equipment that had been licensed for possession during the previous government to protect the centre.
During Afghanistan’s previous government, mosques, schools and other Shiite gathering places were repeatedly targeted in deadly attacks. For this reason, to help secure some of these centres, permits to keep weapons were issued to mosque trustee boards and Shiite gathering places, and armed members affiliated with these boards, in coordination with security forces, were responsible for protecting these sites.
Khatam al-Nabiyyin seminary is considered one of the best-known educational and religious centres for Shiites in Afghanistan and is located in Kabul. The Taliban administration’s evacuation and takeover of the centre in recent days has also drawn reactions.
