On Thursday, as popular opposition to the Taliban spread, flag-waving protesters took to the streets of more cities in Afghanistan. A witness said that militants opened fire on the crowds in Asadabad in the east, killing several people. .
“Our flag, our identity,” a group of men and women waving black, red and green flags shouted in the capital Kabul on the day Afghanistan celebrated its independence from British control in 1919.
An eyewitness reported that there were gunshots near the rally, but it appeared that Taliban fighters shot in the air.
A woman walking on the road with the Afghan flag wrapped around her shoulders, the marchers chanted “God is the greatest.” In some protests elsewhere, the media reported that people had tore up the white flag of the Taliban.
A Taliban spokesperson could not be immediately reached for comment.
Some demonstrations were small in scale, but, coupled with the continuous scramble of thousands of people rushing to the Kabul airport and fleeing the country, they highlighted the challenges facing the Taliban in governing the country.
With the retreat of foreign troops, the Islamic radical movement conquered Afghanistan with lightning speed, surprised even its leaders, and allowed them to fill the power vacuum in many places.
Since occupying Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban have shown a more gentle face to the world, calling them Want peace, Will not avenge the old enemy, will Respect women’s rights Within the framework of Islamic law.
During the last term of power from 1996 to 2001, they severely restricted women’s rights, publicly executed and bombed ancient Buddha statues.
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.
“Hundreds of people took to the streets,” Salim said. “At first I was very scared and didn’t want to go, but when I saw one of my neighbors join in, I took out my home flag.
“Several people were killed and injured in the stampede and shooting by the Taliban.”
Protests also broke out in the eastern city of Jalalabad and an area in Paktia province.
According to eyewitnesses and media reports, 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 to represent the dignity of the country.”
Saleh said on Tuesday that after President Ashraf Ghani fled when the Taliban occupied Kabul, he was in Afghanistan and was the “legitimate caretaker president”.
Airport chaos
in a Washington Post ColumnThe leader of the Afghan National Resistance Front, Ahmad Massoud, called on the West to support the fight against the Taliban in the old anti-Taliban stronghold in the Panjshir Valley in northeastern Kabul.
“I’m writing in the Panjshir Valley today, ready to follow in my father’s footsteps, with Mujahideen fighters who are ready to confront the Taliban again,” wrote Ahmed Shah Masood’s son Masood, who was a suspect The veteran guerrilla leader killed by al-Qaeda militants in 2001.
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. According to Taliban officials, 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.
In a scene Capture on social media, A little girl was hung over the high wall of the airport and handed over to a U.S. soldier standing guard, which highlighted the despair of many people.
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 for 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 it means staying after the U.S. withdrawal deadline on August 31.
