ISIL training footage from Afghanistan was falsely linked to a Bangladeshi madrasa
A video circulating on multiple social media platforms has been falsely presented as evidence that Bangladesh’s madrasa (Islamic school) system is currently providing weapons training to children. However, a fact-check by Dismislab found that the footage does not originate from Bangladesh. Instead, it comes from a documentary produced by the Qatar-based news network Al Jazeera more than a decade ago, documenting activities of the Islamic State (ISIL) and the Taliban in Afghanistan. The original footage shows children receiving weapons training in an Afghan village under the influence of militant groups.
On June 15, a Facebook page called BDResists shared an 11-second video showing a masked individual providing weapons training to several children. The post claimed: “This is the education system of Bangladesh’s madrasas. They are providing weapons training. This is the condition of Bangladesh now.”
At the time of publication, the video had accumulated nearly 150,000 views and more than 2,500 shares. The post also generated numerous comments from users who appeared to accept the claim as genuine. One commenter wrote, “Terrorist education is currently being taught in Bangladesh. Keep your children protected,” while another alleged that the footage was linked to the political party Jamaat-e-Islami. Other users expressed concern about Bangladesh’s security situation and the perceived spread of extremism.
The same video was also shared on X, accompanied by an English-language caption repeating the claim that it showed weapons training taking place in a Bangladeshi madrasa. Posted on June 16, the video had been viewed more than 4,000 times and shared 11 times at the time of publication.
To verify the claim, Dismislab conducted a keyword-based search that led to the original source of the footage. The 11-second clip was found to be excerpted from a 47-minute, 44-second documentary published by Al Jazeera on November 2, 2015. The documentary examines the activities of the Islamic State (ISIL) and the Taliban in Afghanistan.
The masked instructor, the clothing worn by the children, their movements and gestures, and the surrounding environment all match the footage featured in the Al Jazeera documentary. At approximately 46 minutes and 15 seconds into the film, a child is shown receiving weapons training. The viral video appears to be a short excerpt from this sequence that has been mirrored and recirculated online with the false claim that it depicts a contemporary Bangladeshi madrasa.
The documentary investigates the rise of the Islamic State (ISIL) in Afghanistan, its rivalry with the Taliban and the Afghan government, and its attempts to expand its influence through the recruitment of children and foreign fighters. Within that context, the film documents ISIL members providing weapons training to children in an Afghan village.
Therefore, the claim is false. The video does not show Bangladesh’s madrasa education system. It was filmed in Afghanistan and originates from a 2015 Al Jazeera documentary about ISIL and the Taliban. The footage has been misrepresented online and falsely linked to Bangladesh.
