Afghan protests spread across Kabul in early challenge to the Taliban

Kabul — Protests against the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan spread to more cities on Thursday, including the capital Kabul, and witnesses said several were killed when terrorists fired at a crowd in Asadabad, eastern Kunar. ..

“Our Flag, Our Identity,” a video posted on social media by a crowd of men and women waving black, red, and green flags yelling in Kabul from British rule in 1919 by Afghanistan. Shown on the day of celebrating the independence of.

Witnesses reported shootings near the rally, but they appeared to have the Taliban firing in the air.

Marcher chanted, “God is the best.” In several protests elsewhere, the media reported that people broke the Taliban’s white flag.

A Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

Some demonstrations, though small, highlight the challenges the Taliban face to govern, combined with scrambling by thousands of people to flee the country via Kabul Airport.

The Islamist movement conquered Afghanistan at lightning speed as foreign troops withdrew, surprised even their leaders and left them to fill the power vacuum in many places.

Since occupying Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban have a more calm look, saying they have longed for peace, will not take revenge on their old enemies, and will respect women’s rights within the framework of Islamic law.

During their previous reigns from 1996 to 2001, they severely restricted women’s rights, carried out public executions, and blew up ancient Buddha statues.

In Asadabad, several people were killed during the rally, but it was unclear whether the casualties were due to the Taliban’s firing or the resulting crowd accident.

“Hundreds of people came out on the street,” said Witness Mohammed Salim. “At first I was scared and didn’t want to go, but when I saw the neighbors in attendance, I took out the flag at home.

“Several people were killed in a Taliban crowd accident and shooting.”

Protests took place in the eastern part of both the city of Jalalabad and the districts of Paktia.

Witnesses and media reported on Wednesday that Taliban fighters fired at protesters waving flags in Jalalabad, killing three people.

“We raise the national flag and pay tribute to those who support the dignity of the country,” Vice President Amurula Surrey, who is trying to call against the Taliban, said on Twitter.

Saleh said on Tuesday that he was the “legal interim president” of Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled.

In a Washington Post editorial, Afghanistan’s National Popular Resistance Front leader, Ahmad Masoud, based in the old anti-Taliban fortress northeast of Kabul, sought Western help.

“I am ready to write a letter from the Panjshir Valley today and follow in the footsteps of my father. The Mujahideen fighter is ready to take on the Taliban again,” said a veteran guerrilla leader killed by al-Qaeda. Ahmad Shah Masoud’s son, Masoud, wrote. -2001 Kaida terrorist.

Other former Afghan leaders, including former President Hamid Karzai, met with the Taliban.

US President Joe Biden said the Taliban must decide whether it wants international approval.

“I think they are experiencing some sort of existential crisis. Do they want to be recognized as a legitimate government by the international community? I don’t know if they will.” Biden said. Said in a television interview.

Airport chaos

Kabul was generally calm, but NATO and Taliban officials said 12 people were killed in and around the airport in a chaotic scene. According to Taliban officials, the deaths were caused by either shootings or crowd accidents.

In one case featured on social media, a little girl was lifted over the high surrounding walls of the airport and handed over to US soldiers, highlighting the despair that many feel.

On Thursday, shooters fired in the air at several entrances, scattering crowds, including women holding babies. It was not clear whether the man who fired was the Taliban or the guards supporting the US military at the airport.

UN agencies and international aid groups have demanded an additional $ 800 million in humanitarian funding.

About 8,000 people have been spilled from Kabul since Sunday, according to Western security officials.

Under an agreement negotiated by former President Donald Trump’s administration, the United States decided to withdraw its troops in exchange for the Taliban’s guarantee that it would not allow Afghanistan to be used to launch terrorist attacks. I agreed.

The Taliban also agreed not to attack foreign troops when they left.

Biden said the US military would remain until all Americans were evacuated, even if that meant staying past the US withdrawal deadline of 31 August.