The Afghan Taliban celebrate the second anniversary of their return to power

2023-08-15 15:24:40, Kosova & Bota CNA

The Taliban have marked the second anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan, celebrating in Kabul, from where they claim to have returned security to the entire country under the Islamic system.

As foreign forces, led by the United States, prepared to withdraw from Afghanistan, the Taliban entered the Afghan capital on August 15, 2021, resulting in the disintegration of the Afghan army and the flight of then-President Ashraf Ghani from the state.

"On the second anniversary of the capture of Kabul, we wish to congratulate our mujahideen nation of Afghanistan and ask you to thank Allah for this great victory," Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.

He has claimed Afghanistan is enjoying decades of peace, but the United Nations has said it has recorded dozens of attacks on civilians - some believed to have been carried out by the Taliban's domestic rivals.

For many women, who have enjoyed a lot of freedom during the two decades of the presence of Western forces in this country, the return of the Taliban to power has been a big blow.

"It has been two years since the Taliban returned to Afghanistan. Two years since the lives of women and girls, their rights and their future have been turned upside down", said Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, in a statement.

Security measures were tight on Tuesday in Kabul, a day declared a national holiday.

Taliban fighters, supporters and some Kabul residents gathered in the streets and drove slowly.

"Today I came to celebrate the second anniversary of the Taliban. It was the day when the enemy of Afghanistan was expelled from our country, that's why I came to celebrate", said resident Sayed Hashmatullah Sadat.

Initially, the Taliban tried to reassure Afghans and the international community that they had moderated, and pledged to respect human and press rights.

However, two years after returning to power and toppling the Western-backed Afghan government, hard-line Islamists have failed to deliver on their promises and have consistently restricted women's freedoms, suppressed dissenting voices and introduced brutal form to put justice in place./ REL