Taliban forces raided the Khatam al-Nabieen seminary in Kabul and detained 28 teachers, students and others, according to the head of Tamaddon TV, with four later released and 24 still in custody. The raid triggered nighttime protests around the Shiite religious and educational center.
Javad Mohseni, head of Tamaddon TV, said on Saturday evening, Sept. 5, that the detainees were being held at the Taliban-run Police District 3 station in Kabul on the orders of the group’s justice minister.
Mohseni said four people had been released late on Saturday but that 24 remained in detention. He described conditions inside the detention facility as “relatively appropriate,” while saying the arrests and transfer had involved “severe tension and disrespect.”
Tensions reported during arrests
According to reports from the area, residents of Kabul tried to prevent police Ranger vehicles from taking the detained teachers away. Security forces used physical force, including sticks and slaps, to disperse the crowd, the reports said.
Neighbors said the confrontation was so intense that the turbans of some students fell off and were trampled. The accounts could not be independently verified.
Seminary surrounded, occupants ordered to leave
The confrontation began on Saturday morning, when Taliban forces surrounded the Khatam al-Nabieen seminary and ordered its administrators and students to vacate the premises.
Sources said forces affiliated with the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice, equipped with military gear, had deployed around the center while some students remained inside. Videos circulating on social media showed military vehicles carrying the Taliban’s white flag entering the seminary compound.
The Taliban has not issued an official explanation for the operation.
Dispute over land and Tamaddon TV
The operation follows earlier statements by Taliban officials that the ministry had two main grounds for ordering the evacuation and halting Tamaddon TV’s activities.
The first was an allegation that the land was “usurped.” The Taliban says the seminary, Khatam al-Nabieen University and Tamaddon TV were built on state land and must be vacated.
The second was an allegation that the institutions were affiliated with the Islamic Movement of Afghanistan. The Taliban’s Ministry of Justice says activities by institutions linked to political parties are prohibited, and has cited that position in halting Tamaddon TV.
Tamaddon TV has rejected both allegations, saying the land-ownership case remains under review by a Taliban special court and that no final ruling has been issued.
Shiites protest evacuation order
As the seminary was surrounded, a crowd of Shiites gathered in the compound to protest the evacuation order. Video received by media outlets showed people inside the premises.
Local sources alleged that Taliban forces also detained a number of clerics during the gathering.
Earlier disputes involving Shiite institutions
The latest action comes after months and years of disputes between the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice and Shiite institutions in Kabul over property and other issues.
Previous cases cited by sources include:
- Kabul Senatorium: An order to vacate about 100 homes and seal a Shiite mosque.
- Tamaddon TV: Suspension of operations and the short-term detention of managers.
- Omid Sabz Township: An evacuation order that prompted residents to submit a formal protest to the Taliban leader’s office.
Sources said the office of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s acting interior minister, told residents of Omid Sabz not to leave until a direct order was issued by the Taliban leader.
A major Shiite educational center
The Khatam al-Nabieen seminary is one of Kabul’s most important centers for Shiite religious education.
It was established in 2007 on the initiative of Mohammad Asif Mohseni, an Afghan Shiite cleric and political figure. In addition to religious instruction, the center has conducted academic and cultural activities.
After Mohseni’s death, management of the institution was transferred to his children.
Tamaddon TV, which was associated with the same network, was shut down in early July this year on the orders of the Taliban’s Ministry of Justice. The channel has since announced plans to resume its activities online.
Detainees’ fate remains unclear
More than a day after the seminary was surrounded and teachers were detained, the Taliban had yet to provide an official explanation for the evacuation order, the fate of the detainees or the situation of students still inside the building.
