With fireworks – Taliban celebrate first anniversary of western troop withdrawal

August 31 is now a national holiday in Afghanistan. The ruling radical Islamic Taliban celebrated the first anniversary of the western troop withdrawal from the country.

Fireworks lit up the sky over the capital Kabul the night before. Groups of Taliban fighters also fired joyful shots. Hundreds of white Taliban flags bearing the Muslim creed hung from lampposts and government buildings.

The United States and its allies ended their military operation in Afghanistan on August 31, 2021. The last US soldiers left the country one minute before midnight on the night of August 30/31.

After 20 years, the USA ended the longest war in its history, which it had started after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Two weeks before the end of the Western troop withdrawal, the Taliban had recaptured power in the Hindu Kush in a rapid offensive, inflicting severe humiliation on the West.

The Islamists subsequently promised a more moderate approach than during their rule between 1996 and 2001. In the past twelve months, however, the rights of women and girls in particular have been massively restricted. Human rights organizations report numerous human rights violations.

The country is also suffering from a severe humanitarian and economic crisis. According to the UN, six million people are at risk of starvation. More than half of the population is dependent on humanitarian aid, and an estimated three million children are acutely malnourished, UN emergency aid coordinator Martin Griffiths reported to the United Nations Security Council in New York on Monday. So far, no country has officially recognized the Taliban government.

Despite the massive difficulties, many Afghans are satisfied with the western troop withdrawal. "We are happy that Allah cast the infidels out of our country and that the Islamic Emirate was created," said Salmai, a Kabul resident.