Publication

This report presents the results from a three-province study on violent extremism in Afghanistan, including the factors that induce young people to join violent or non-violent groups. Some of the findings include the following: 1) less educated rural youth are the primary recruiting target for violent extremist groups, whereas educated urban youth are being targeted by non-violent groups; 2) radicalization and recruitment occur in madrassas, mosques, universities and prisons; and 3) the so-called Islamic State (IS) is probing for entry points in both Herat and Nangarhar province, particularly among disaffected Taliban commanders. The paper concludes with recommendations on how to counter the messaging of violent groups and clarify the Islamic basis of civil law to non-violent groups.