The Taliban government celebrates five years of ruling Afghanistan on Saturday, with the authorities hailing their country's "freedom" and security, while critics decry tightening restrictions in all areas of daily life. Afghans riding rickshaws and motorbikes decorated with flags were driving around Kabul, where new murals declared: "Independence is a sign of dignity, pride and identity".
Men sell Taliban flags on a Kabul street ahead of celebrations marking the 5th anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. © Nava Jamshidi, AP
The authorities will host a cricket match and other sports events – which girls and women are banned from attending – while their supporters are expected to gather five years to the day since Taliban insurgents entered the city. They took the capital unopposed after a lightning offensive that swept across Afghanistan, toppling government forces in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops.
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