Taliban marks five years in power amid rights concerns

Taliban leaders marked the fifth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan on Saturday, August 15, with celebrations across the country. In the capital, Kabul, motorcycles, cars, and rickshaws filled the streets, adorned with black and white flags of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Banners proclaimed, "August 15 is the day the Afghan nation raised the banner of faith, the East, and independence."

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This day of victory will be etched in golden letters in Afghanistan's history.

Hundreds of government supporters, including men, children, and a few women, gathered near the former U.S. Embassy, watched by armed security forces. They took commemorative photos in a festive atmosphere. Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid declared on platform X, "This day of victory will be etched in golden letters in Afghanistan's history."

The anniversary comes amid significant international concern over the state of human rights in Afghanistan. The UN has reported that residents, especially women, are subjected to "suffocating restrictions" across nearly all aspects of life. These include bans on music, restrictions on smartphone use for civil servants and students, the reintroduction of corporal punishment, and strict dress codes for men and women.

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The chapter of war has ended.

Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, in an interview with The New York Times, stated that "the chapter of war has ended" and invited Americans to reopen their embassy and invest. The group promotes economic self-sufficiency, though Afghanistan remains largely cut off from the international banking system. Despite some reported economic growth, the living standards of the population have declined, exacerbated by the return of over six million Afghans from Iran and Pakistan since 2023. Climate change and conflict with Pakistan have further worsened the humanitarian crisis, with the UN estimating that around 14 million Afghans suffer from acute hunger.

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Over the past five years, Afghans have suffered from the imposition and tightening of suffocating restrictions in almost every area of their lives and human rights.