Fact Check: Clip from 2015 documentary shared as madrasa training children to use guns

Hyderabad: A video claiming to show an Indian madrasa teaching children how to use arms and ammunition is viral on social media. In the video, a few adults can be seen teaching children how to hold a gun and work on their aim.

Fact Check

Upon close observation, we noticed the logo of Al Jazeera, the Qatar-based media organisation. The video also has subtitles indicating that it was not recorded live.

The viral video was taken from a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary called "ISIL and the Taliban." The viral clip appears at 45:53 minute.

The article published along with the documentary shows pictures of children learning how to operate guns at the ISIL military training in Afghanistan. One of the pictures is captioned, "ISIL teaches children as young as 5-years-old to sacrifice their lives for its so-called 'Caliphate'." The article states that the ISIL targets young children and gives hands-on training involving arms. It says "children as young as five are given practical lessons in how to fire pistols and submachine guns and how to throw grenades."

A part of the article reads:

As their fighter-teacher, Abdullah Gul, explains to Najibullah in the film: "Islamic law tells us to give children all essential skills. We teach them, and we give them military training so they are prepared in mind and body so they are set on the right path and each generation will learn and teach in turn."

"So you want the children to learn about weapons and fighting?" asks Najibullah.

"Yes, of course we do," answers Abdullah."

Evidently, the viral video is from a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary about Afghanistan's ISIL training. It does not show an Indian madrasa teaching students to use guns.