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In honour of the first anniversary of the US-led coalition’s withdrawal from Afghanistan after a bloody 20-year war, the Taliban declared Wednesday a national holiday and lighted up the nation’s capital with coloured lights.
The poor nation has once again been governed by draconian Islamic law, with women being excluded from public life, by the new leaders of the country, who are not formally recognised by any other government.
However, despite the limitations and the worsening humanitarian catastrophe, many Afghans say they are relieved that the foreign power that sparked the Taliban insurgency is no longer there.
The Islamic Emirate has been founded, and we are glad that Allah drove the non-Muslims out of our nation, according to Kabul resident Zalmai.
America’s longest war, a military operation that started in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York, came to a conclusion when forces withdrew at midnight on August 31 of last year.
The combat resulted in the deaths of 66,000 Afghan soldiers and 48,000 civilians, but it was the 2,461 deaths of US service men that proved to be too many for the American people to stomach.
More than 3,500 soldiers from other NATO nations also lost their lives.
The US military stated on Tuesday that “the cost of the conflict in Afghanistan stretched beyond Americans.”
The Taliban took control of the country after a quick onslaught against government soldiers two weeks before the retreat last year came to an end.
On Wednesday, banners celebrating wins against three empires — including the former Soviet Union and Britain, who both lost wars in Afghanistan — were flying in Kabul.
From lampposts and administrative structures, hundreds of white Taliban banners flying the Islamic creed were visible.
Late on Tuesday, throngs of Taliban insurgents fired celebratory gunfire and fireworks above Kabul.
Armed fighters carrying Taliban flags chanted “Death to America” near the former US embassy in Massoud Square. Others honked their horns as they drove through town.
Displaying equipment
Taliban social media accounts posted dozens of videos and photos of newly trained troops, many of whom flaunted US military equipment left behind in the haste of Washington’s chaotic withdrawal.
“This is how you troll a superpower after humiliating them and forcing them to withdraw from your country,” read the caption of one Twitter post featuring a photo of a giant Taliban flag now painted on the wall of the former US embassy.
Despite the Taliban’s pride in taking power, Afghanistan’s 38 million people are now facing a dire humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the freezing of billions of dollars in assets and the cessation of foreign aid.
The difficulties faced by ordinary Afghans, particularly women, have risen.
In many provinces, the Taliban has closed secondary girls’ schools and barred women from many government jobs.
They’ve also ordered women to wear full-coverage burqas in public.
“I’m sitting at home without a job right now,” said Oranoos Omerzai, a resident of Kandahar, the Taliban’s de facto power centre.
According to government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, “major achievements” have been made in the last year.
Last week, he told reporters, “Afghans are no longer being killed in war, foreign forces have withdrawn, and security has improved.”
