Turkey running ex-FETO-linked schools in Afghanistan

By Eda Fatma Topcu

ISTANBUL

At least 10 schools in Afghanistan linked to FETO, the group behind the 2016 defeated coup in Turkey, came under Turkish administration earlier this year, Turkish officials announced today.

Under a pact between Turkey and Afghanistan signed this February and approved in April, 12 schools linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) are now managed by the Turkey’s Maarif Foundation (TMF), a group founded by the Turkish government to guide former FETO-linked schools, said a Maarif statement.

Under the pact, 70 teachers came from Turkey to Afghanistan, and the group said that it started education and training in two schools in the northern Jowzjan province this August.

Also, on Nov. 12, some FETO operatives disguised as students were removed from two high schools and dormitories set to go under Maarif administration in Herat, western Afghanistan.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 to take over the administration of overseas schools linked to FETO. The foundation also establishes schools and education centers abroad.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, including security forces, the judiciary, and education.

FETO also has a considerable presence outside Turkey, including private educational institutions that serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group.