- The Taliban shot into the air to disperse hundreds of protesters.
- At least three rallies were held across Kabul.
- The rally is the latest sign of resistance by the Afghans.
The Taliban fired into the air on Tuesday to disperse hundreds of people gathered at several rallies in Kabul. This is the latest sign of Afghans rebelling against the hardline Islamic movement that came to power last month.
The new ruler of Afghanistan has not yet formed a government, but many in the capital fear that the Taliban’s previous brutal and repressive rule between 1996 and 2001 will repeat itself.
At least three rallies were held in Kabul to show resistance, which was unthinkable during the last time the Taliban came to power-when people were publicly executed and the hands of thieves were cut off.
“Afghan women want their country to be free. They want their country to be rebuilt. We are tired,” protester Sarah Fahim told AFP at a rally outside the Pakistani embassy, where more than 70 people gathered. Most of them are women.
“We want all of us to live a normal life. How long can we live in this situation?” said the 25-year-old.
The crowd held up banners and chanted their dissatisfaction with safety, free exit, and alleged intervention by Pakistan-Pakistan has always had a close relationship with the Taliban leadership.
Pakistan is one of only three countries that recognized the previous Taliban government and has long been accused of providing a safe haven for its leaders after they were ousted in a US-led invasion in 2001.
Faiz Hamid, the head of Pakistan’s intelligence service, was in Kabul over the weekend. He reportedly listened to a briefing by the Pakistani ambassador, but may have also met with Taliban officials.
Another video of the rally posted on social media showed more than a hundred people crossing the street under the surveillance of armed Taliban members.
Another protester, Zahra Mohammadi, a Kabul doctor, said: “We want Afghanistan to be free. We want freedom.”
In recent days, sporadic demonstrations have also been held in small cities, including Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif, where women demanded to become members of the new government.
General Mobin, a Taliban official in charge of security in the capital, told AFP that he was called to the scene by Taliban guards and they said “women are creating chaos.”
“The gathering of these protesters is just a conspiracy based on foreign intelligence,” he claimed.
An Afghan journalist covering the demonstration told AFP that his press card and camera were confiscated by the Taliban.
“I was kicked and told to go away,” he said.
Later, the Kabul-based Afghan Independent Journalists Association stated that 14 journalists — including Afghans and foreign journalists — were briefly detained during the protest and then released.
“The association strongly condemns the violent treatment of journalists during the recent demonstrations and calls on the authorities of the Islamic Emirate to take appropriate measures to prevent violence and protect journalists,” it said in a statement.
Pictures shared online showed that the reporter had cuts and bruises on his hands and knees.
At the same time, US Secretary of State Anthony Brinken stated that the Taliban reiterated their commitment to allow Afghans to leave Afghanistan freely.
The Taliban told the United States that “they will let people with travel documents leave freely,” Brinken said at a press conference in Doha, where he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin met their Qataris.
US President Joe Biden is under increasing pressure. There are reports that hundreds of people, including Americans, have been banned from flying out of an airport in northern Afghanistan for a week.
Tuesday’s demonstrations took place after the Taliban claimed full control of Afghanistan a day ago, saying they had won a key battle in the Panjshir Valley.
Following a lightning victory over the security forces of the former Afghan government in mid-August and the withdrawal of U.S. forces after the 20-year war, the Taliban turned to fight against the resistance forces defending the mountains.
When the Islamic hardliners declared victory on Monday, their chief spokesperson warned that they should stop trying to resist their rule.
“Anyone who tries to launch a rebellion will be hit hard. We will not allow another rebellion,” Zabihullah Mujahid said at a press conference in Kabul.
As the Taliban transition to key institutions and cities that oversee hundreds of thousands of people on a large scale, they face major challenges including the imminent financial and humanitarian crisis.
Afghanistan’s new rulers promised to be more “tolerant” than they did when they first took office, and the government represents the country’s complex ethnic makeup-although women are unlikely to be included.
