Taliban Marks Five Years of Rule in Afghanistan with Grand Celebrations

On Saturday, the Taliban government commemorated its fifth anniversary of ruling Afghanistan with grand festivities, featuring an array of flags and convoys of military vehicles. Critics, however, lamented the tightening restrictions imposed on daily life by the Taliban regime. The celebrations drew hundreds of Afghans to a square beside the former US embassy in Kabul, where men, boys, and young girls waving white Taliban flags filled pickup trucks. Some took selfies and posed for pictures, while new murals around the city proclaimed, 'Independence is a sign of dignity, pride, and identity.' Men wearing white or red headbands joined the festive crowd as patriotic music filled the air, five years to the day since the Taliban insurgents captured Kabul. Dozens of flag-decorated vehicles and motorbikes drove around the square, while security forces stood in the crowd, armed with AK-47 rifles. Military helicopters flew over the capital, adding to the celebratory atmosphere. The authorities have planned a cricket match and other sports events to mark the occasion, although girls and women are barred from attending. The Taliban took control of Kabul unopposed on August 15, 2021, following a swift offensive that toppled government forces in the wake of the US-led troops' chaotic withdrawal. Some of the vehicles abandoned by foreign forces, such as Humvees, were driven in convoy through the city, where the number of checkpoints has increased. University student Pirooz Mirzaie said the government has brought security, infrastructure projects, and 'plenty of opportunities for entrepreneurs.' 'The biggest challenge for young people is that there aren't many jobs,' the 20-year-old told AFP beside vendors selling flags. Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said this month that the authorities are laying the 'foundations of the economy' and that patience is needed. According to the World Bank, Afghanistan's real growth is estimated to reach 4.8 percent, despite the country's GDP per capita being in decline due to the influx of over six million Afghans from neighboring Iran and Pakistan in three years. The Taliban government's relations with neighboring Pakistan have deteriorated, and the two countries engaged in warfare this year, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Some countries have limited their relations with the Taliban authorities, citing the need for changes in Afghanistan, where people are suffering 'very real harm' according to the United Nations. Fiona Frazer, the human rights director for the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told AFP that people have endured the 'consolidation of suffocating restrictions that intrude on almost every aspect of their daily lives, and their human rights.' The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the authorities' 'brutal repression of the press,' which has seen media workers 'surveilled, detained, beaten, censored, or driven into exile.' Women have been particularly affected by the Taliban government's measures, being banned from public places, including parks, and from most jobs, while education for girls beyond the age of 12 is outlawed. A 23-year-old woman, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said she felt a 'profound sense of suffocation,' adding, 'The five years have been so grueling that I feel like a 500-year-old woman, one who cannot die.'