On Wednesday, protests broke out in Jalalabad, Afghanistan against the Taliban’s decision to change the Afghan flag to the white banner with Islamic inscription that the group has unfurled after taking control of key provinces in the last few weeks.
According to witnesses, three people were killed and 14 others were injured after the Taliban gunmen opened fire on the demonstrators who brought down the group’s flag in the city. Jalalabad, the commercial hub of Afghanistan, was seized by the Taliban five days ago without much fighting after negotiations with the region’s political leaders.
Reports suggested that anti-Taliban protests were also held in the southeastern city of Khost. A video showed four Afghan women urging the Taliban to refrain from cracking down on their rights, specifically their rights to work, education, and political participation.
On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Times reported that the group had attacked women and children attempting to flee the country at the Kabul airport. It is despite assurances by Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid that the group intends to protect the rights and freedoms of all Afghans. The group also vowed to provide “a safe passage” at airports for those wanting to leave the country. However, the attack on women and children has increased apprehensions about the Taliban’s commitment.
In other related developments, the now-former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani released a video on Thursday, the first since the Taliban’s takeover, vowing to return to Afghanistan. Ghani, who reportedly fled to the United Arab Emirates, a claim which the country’s government has confirmed, faced immense criticism by the Afghan people for abandoning them at a time of crisis. However, in the video, Ghani said he decided to leave the country to avoid bloodshed. He also vowed to return to Afghanistan and its people.
Meanwhile, the Taliban met with Ghani’s predecessor, Hamid Karzai, and the Afghan government’s chief negotiator, Abdullah Abdullah, to discuss a prospective power-sharing agreement to run the government.
Apart from a lack of clarity about the rights and freedoms of the Afghan people, the country’s political future also remains in limbo. As the Taliban engages in violence, fears among Afghans regarding the resurgence of the group’s brutal regime in the 1990s are increasing. Consequently, Afghans in the country and worldwide have been calling on the international community to offer protection.
Protests Breakout in Jalalabad, Afghanistan Over Change of Flag
The Taliban gunmen open fire on several protesters who gathered in Jalalabad to oppose the change of the Afghan flag, resulting in three deaths and several others being wounded.
August 19, 2021
SOURCE: REUTERS