Taliban officials were due to mark the third anniversary of their takeover of Afghanistan on Wednesday with a military parade at a former US military base and celebrations in major cities.
Extra security was deployed in the capital Kabul and the Taliban’s spiritual stronghold of Kandahar ahead of “Victory Day”, amid the continued threat of Islamic State group attacks in the country.
Taliban forces took over Kabul on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government fell and its leaders fled into exile. The anniversary is celebrated a day earlier on the Afghan calendar.
“Victory Day is a historically important and proud day for the Islamic Ummah (nation) in particular and the Afghan people in particular,” Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund said in a statement on Tuesday.
“On this date, Allah granted the mujahideen nation of Afghanistan a decisive victory over an international arrogant and occupying force.”
In the three years since ending its 20-year insurgency, the Taliban government has tightened its grip on the country, imposing laws based on its strict interpretation of Islam, though it is still not recognised by any other state.
Their restrictions on women, who bear the brunt of policies that the United Nations has called “gender apartheid”, remain a major issue.
Banners, flags and poetry
Days before the ceremony, activists were busy putting up banners and billboards reading “Congratulations” along with the anniversary date around Kabul.
Vendors across the city were selling flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (the Taliban government’s formal name for the country), with black and white flags also fluttering on the streets.
A military parade and speeches were to be held at Bagram Airbase, the former US military operations center in Afghanistan, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from Kabul.
Concerts of athletes and poetry readings were scheduled to be held in the capital.
Heavy security and decorations were also in place in the southern city of Kandahar – the birthplace of the Taliban movement and home to reclusive leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, who rules through religious decree.
Security has been a key priority for Taliban authorities, and while many Afghans express relief at the end of 40 years of continuous conflict, the economy remains in trouble and the population is trapped in a worsening humanitarian crisis.
A joint statement by international non-governmental groups warned about a growing aid funding shortage in the country, where 23.7 million people require humanitarian assistance.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reiterated its call to pressure the Taliban government to lift restrictions on women, who are excluded from public life and denied secondary and higher education.
“The third anniversary of the Taliban takeover is a grim reminder of Afghanistan’s human rights crisis, but it should also be a call to action,” said Fereshta Abbasi, HRW’s Afghanistan researcher.