- In the chaos of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, flag-waving protesters took to the streets to oppose the Taliban’s takeover.
- Several people were killed at a rally in Asadabad, but it is not clear whether the Taliban fired or the stampede that followed.
- According to eyewitnesses, on Wednesday, Taliban militants opened fire on protesters waving flags in Jalalabad, killing three people.
Kabul – As popular opposition to the Taliban spread, flag-waving protesters took to the streets of several cities in Afghanistan on Thursday. A witness said several people were killed when militants fired at the crowd.
A video posted on social media showed a group of men and women waving black, red and green flags in Afghanistan celebrating Independence Day, which was freed from British control in 1919, chanting “our flag, our identity” in the capital.
A woman walks on the road with a flag wrapped around her shoulder. Some marchers also chanted “God is the greatest”.
A Taliban spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Since entering Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban have shown a moderate face to the world, saying that they want peace, will not retaliate against their old enemies, and will respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law.
According to media reports, how the Taliban handled the protests, including the removal of white Taliban flags, can determine whether people trust their guarantees. They have changed since their reign in 1996-2001, when they strictly restricted women, publicly executed and bombed them. Ancient Buddha statue.
Witness Mohamed Salim said that several people were killed in a rally in Asadabad, the capital of the eastern Kunar province, but it is not clear whether the casualties were caused by the Taliban fire or a stampede.
Street protest
“Hundreds of people took to the streets,” Salim said. “At first I was scared and didn’t want to go, but when I saw one of my neighbors join in, I took out my home flag.”
He said:
Several people were killed and injured in the stampede and Taliban fire.
The protesters also took to the streets of Jalalabad City and Paktia Province, also in the east.
According to eyewitnesses and the media, on Wednesday, Taliban militants opened fire on protesters waving flags in Jalalabad, killing three people. On Wednesday, the media reported similar scenes in Asadabad and another eastern city of Khost.
Amrullah Saleh, the first vice president who tried to unite against the Taliban, expressed support for the protests.
He said on Twitter: “Salute to those who hold the national flag and therefore represent the dignity of the country.”
Saleh said on Tuesday that after President Ashraf Ghani fled when the Taliban occupied Kabul on Sunday, he was in Afghanistan and was the “legitimate caretaker president”.
Chaos at Kabul Airport
In a column in the Washington Post, the leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front, Amad Masood, based in the old anti-Taliban stronghold in the Panjshir Valley in northeastern Kabul, called on the West to support the fight against the Taliban.
Masood is the son of Amhad Shah Masood. The veteran guerrilla leader was assassinated by suspected al-Qaeda militants on behalf of the Taliban in 2001. He wrote:
I am writing in the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with the Mujahideen fighters who are ready to fight the Taliban again.
Other former Afghan leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai, have been holding talks with the Taliban to form a new government.
Since the Taliban troops entered on Sunday, Kabul has generally remained calm, but the airport has been in chaos and people have rushed abroad.
A NATO and a Taliban official said that since then, 12 people have been killed in and out of the airport. Taliban officials said the deaths were caused by shooting or trampling.
He urged people who do not have the legal right to travel to return home. “We don’t want to hurt anyone at the airport,” said the Taliban official, who declined to be named.
Evacuation procedures
Witnesses said on Wednesday that Taliban gunmen prevented people from entering the airport compound. A Taliban official said the soldiers shot into the air to disperse the crowd.
On Thursday, gunmen continued to fire into the air at several entrances to the airport, causing the crowd to disperse, including women holding babies. It is not clear whether the shooting was the Taliban or the security personnel who helped the US military enter.
A Western security official said that the United States and other Western powers continue to evacuate their nationals and some Afghan staff from the Capital Airport. Since Sunday, about 8,000 people have taken off from there.
According to an agreement negotiated by the administration of former President Donald Trump last year, the United States agreed to withdraw its troops in exchange for the Taliban’s assurance that they would not allow Afghanistan to be used to launch terrorist attacks.
The Taliban also agreed not to attack foreign troops when they leave.
U.S. President Joe Biden stated that U.S. troops will continue to stay until the American withdrawal is complete, even if this means that the deadline for U.S. withdrawal will exceed August 31.
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