No invader will be allowed to threaten independence, freedom: Taliban

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
15 Aug 2023 11:25
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The Taliban movement celebrates the second anniversary of its takeover of Afghanistan.

Vendors sell flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the name given to the country by its new rulers -- in the capital Kabul ahead of the anniversary of the Taliban takeover (AFP)

The Taliban government in Afghanistan marked on Tuesday the second anniversary of its takeover of the country with celebrations and a public holiday, issuing a strong-worded statement commemorating their surge back to power after a hasty US withdrawal from the country.

Flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan -- the name given to the country by its new rulers -- fluttered at security checkpoints across the capital, which fell on August 15, 2021, when the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.

A statement from the authorities early Tuesday hailed a victory that was able to "pave the way for the establishment of the Islamic system in Afghanistan."

"The conquest of Kabul proved once again that no one can control the proud nation of Afghanistan" and that "no invader will be allowed to threaten the independence and freedom" of the country, the statement read.

Quiet Kabul streets early on Tuesday began to give way to convoys of Taliban members and a gathering at Massoud Square near the abandoned US embassy building.

In Herat in the West, a crowd of Taliban supporters chanted: "Death to the Europeans, death to the Westerners, long live the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, death to the Americans."

In Kabul, the Education Ministry hosted a celebration at a school in a part of the city once stacked with diplomats.

The international community continues to grapple with how, and if, to engage with the Taliban authorities, with restrictions on women's rights -- such as the right to education and work -- a key obstacle in negotiations over aid and recognition.

The United States has prohibited Afghanistan's access to $7 billion dollars of its foreign assets, half of which were seized by the US Federal Reserve while the rest is frozen in a Swiss account.

But in late June, Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada claimed that the movement is allegedly working to improve the status of women in the country through "concrete measures" and that they have begun to be considered "free and dignified" human beings.

A group of UN experts hit out on Monday at pledges by Taliban authorities of a softer rule than during their first period in power from 1996 until 2001.

"Despite reassurances by the Taliban de facto authorities that any restrictions, particularly in terms of access to education would be temporary, the facts on the ground have demonstrated an accelerated, systematic, and all engulfing system of segregation, marginalization and persecution," the experts pointed out in a statement.