Taliban authorities were set to celebrate the third anniversary of their takeover of Afghanistan on Wednesday, with a military parade at a former US military base and festivities in key cities. Extra security was deployed in the capital Kabul and the Taliban's spiritual home of Kandahar ahead of the "day of victory", with Islamic State group attacks a continued threat in the country. Taliban forces seized Kabul on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile.
The anniversary is marked a day earlier on the Afghan calendar. "The Day of Victory is historically a significant and proud day for the Islamic Ummah (nation), and particularly for the Afghan people," said Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund in a statement on Tuesday. "On this date, Allah granted the Mujahid nation of Afghanistan a decisive victory over an international arrogant and occupying force.
" In the three years since they ended their 20-year insurgency, the Taliban government has consolidated its grip on the country, implementing laws based on its strict interpretation of Islam, even though it is still unrecognised by any other state. Their restrictions on women, who bear the brunt of policies the United Nations has called "gender apartheid", remain a key sticking point. The days before the celebrations, workers were busy putting up banners and billboards reading "Congratulations" with the anniversary date around Kabul.
Vendors selling flags of the Islamic Emirate of.