Taliban celebrate ‘victory day’ five years after seizing power in Afghanistan

On Saturday, the Taliban celebrated their fifth anniversary in power, positioning their government as in control despite warnings of growing crises from aid and rights organizations. Armored Taliban vehicles participated in a parade at the former US embassy in Kabul, displaying flags and banners to commemorate what the government termed a "victory day" over Western domination.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, acknowledged the challenges but attributed their return to power to "morale, courage, and divine assistance."

However, international organizations and the UN highlighted the Taliban's struggles to address Afghanistan's humanitarian and natural crises over the past five years. The group's restrictions on Afghan women have been particularly severe, with 2.5 million women barred from secondary schools and universities, according to UNESCO, and half of Afghan women leaving their homes only once or twice a month, as reported by UN Women.

The Taliban, which returned to power in 2021 amid the withdrawal of US and allied forces, initially promised a more liberal governance compared to the late 1990s and early 2000s. However, human rights groups say these assurances were soon abandoned, imposing strict limits on women's rights under the guise of Islamic Sharia law. Despite their international unrecognition, with only Russia formally acknowledging the government, the Taliban have managed to establish quiet diplomatic ties with various countries, including Western nations seeking to manage Afghan deportations.

Taliban officials have announced planned ceremonies marking the fifth anniversary in the capitals of Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia. The government is also leveraging its strategic location between South and Central Asia and the Middle East to forge economic agreements. Afghan shop owner Zia Ahmad Takal expressed optimism about the future, hoping for development, while Fatima, a 28-year-old expatriate deported from Iran, expressed her ongoing struggles and concerns for her child's future under the Taliban's rule.