Madrassaene har stengt for sommeren, og mange av studentene har meldt seg frivillig til Taliban, sies det i Chamm på grensen til Afghanistan.

Gjennom madrassaene har Taliban en nærmest uutømmelig reserve av folk. Men de hadde ikke kunnet drive så fritt uten stilltiende samtykke fra lokale myndigheter.

IN THE Pakistani village of Mahmoud Abad, a mile from the rugged Afghan border, several dozen people gathered at the mosque yesterday to honour a local boy killed in a battle with coalition forces near Kandahar last week.

«He was a soldier of Islam who laid down his life fighting the infidels,» a bearded and blackturbanned Taleban commander told the crowd, which chanted «Allahu akbar» (God is greatest).

The family of Abdul Baqi, 24, a religious student who had joined the Taleban insurgents in Afghanistan a month ago, likewise celebrated his martyrdom. «We are proud of him,» said Abdul Qadir, his older brother.

Many young men from the dirt-poor village have enrolled as volunteers with the Taleban forces fighting in Afghanistan. Across the Chamman district hundreds have joined up since the madrassas — religious schools — closed for the summer.

Maulana Abdul Ghani, a 75-old-cleric who is dean of Al Jamia Islamia, one of Chamman’s largest madrassas, said he believed many of his 3,000 students had gone willingly to fight in Afghanistan. «The situation is fast changing in Afghanistan in favour of the Taleban,» he said.
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We cannot fight for long without support from our sympathisers in the local administration,» said one, Samiul Haq. Mr Haq, who recently returned from Afghanistan, gave warning of more attacks on coalition forces. He said that as many as 600 suicide bombers were being trained and said such attacks were «the most effective weapon against the occupation forces». Another Taleban commander said many insurgents had returned from Iraq.

De siste dagers hendelser tyder på at spådommene ikke er bløff.

Border village celebrates sons killed by ‘the infidel’