Friday, Aug. 15, marks the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan, and sources in Kandahar say Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has ordered the day to be celebrated “in a special manner.”
Local sources in Kabul and other provinces told Amu the Taliban have instructed shopkeepers to hang their white flag on their storefronts and encouraged residents to attach the flags to their vehicles and drive through the streets.
In the capital, sources said Taliban authorities are preparing events for Friday, mainly organized by their Defense Ministry and National Olympic Committee. They said helicopters will stage aerial displays over the city.
While the Taliban refer to Aug. 15 as their “Victory Day,” some women staged a small street protest Thursday, calling it a dark day in Afghanistan’s history.
“Aug. 15 is a black day in our history — the day when freedom and people’s rights were sold to a group that rules through oppression and violence,” said a member of the Panjereh Omid women’s movement.
Another woman said the day marked the collapse of her dreams: “For many in the world, Aug. 15 may be just another date on the calendar, but for us it is the day our destiny changed, our hopes fell apart, and darkness descended on our homes.”
For the past three years, the Taliban have marked Aug. 15 with a military parade in Bagram using US military vehicles and equipment left behind after the withdrawal. This year, it remains unclear whether a parade will be held. Sources told Amu that the Taliban will host an official ceremony at the Loya Jirga Hall in Kabul.
US President Donald Trump, in the early days of his second term, said he would be “angry” if the Taliban held parades with abandoned US equipment and called for the return of those weapons and vehicles.
SOURCE : Amu TV
