I was ready to die for the Taliban. Now I hope I can prevent others becoming radicalised

51 minutes ago Share Save Sadaf Ghayasi BBC Afghan Languages Share Save

Maiwand Banayee Maiwand Banayee is worried that a generation of Afghan children is at risk of being radicalised

Maiwand Banayee now lives a relatively unremarkable life. When the 45-year-old isn't working with the National Health Service supporting people with diabetes, or studying for his postgraduate degree, you'll likely find him lifting weights at his local gym in Coventry. But his comfortable life in the Midlands is a far cry from the 1990s, when he says his "only desire was to die as a martyr" fighting for the Taliban, even if that involved taking part in a suicidal mission. Mr Banayee says he eventually managed to pull himself away from the extreme jihadism of the Taliban and has written a book, Delusions of Paradise: Escaping the Life of a Taliban Fighter, which he hopes will prevent others becoming radicalised. In it, he explains how he was lured by the promise of glory and that he came to believe a direct route to paradise was to sacrifice his life fighting for "a pure Islamic society". Now he is worried that, since the Taliban's return to power in 2021, a "rapid increase in religious schools in Afghanistan" is exposing a new generation of children to e