KABUL (Reuters) – The Taliban and their supporters waved the group’s black and white flag on the streets of Afghanistan on Monday, commemorating a year since the group marched to the capital and seized power after an impressive streak of battlefield victories.
In the 12 months since the chaotic withdrawal of US troops, some Afghans have increased security but are struggling with poverty, drought, malnutrition and waning hope that women will play a decisive role in the country’s future.
In Kabul, some men opened fire in the air and several hundred people, including Taliban supporters, fighters and officials, gathered in the square in front of the US embassy to celebrate the date. They unfurled banners with the slogan “Death to the USA”.
“This is the day of the victory of truth over falsehood and the liberation and freedom of the Afghan nation,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.
At a ceremony attended by ministers from the Taliban government, Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki said his government has brought security where the United States has failed and the group wants positive relations with the world.
“We want a good relationship with all countries, we will not allow the territory of Afghanistan to be used against anyone,” he said, adding that they want to address the ongoing challenges in the country.
Although a local branch of the Islamic State has carried out several attacks, the country is physically safer than when the hardline Islamist movement was fighting foreign forces led by the United States and its Afghan allies.
However, this relative security cannot mask the extent of the Taliban’s challenge as it puts Afghanistan on the path to economic growth and stability. There are enormous pressures on the economy, largely due to the country’s isolation, as foreign governments refuse to recognize their rulers.
Development aid, on which the country heavily depends, has been curtailed as the international community demands that the Taliban respect the rights of Afghans, especially girls and women whose access to employment and education is restricted.
The Taliban want the return of $9 billion in central bank reserves held abroad, but negotiations with the United States face hurdles, including demands that a sanctioned Taliban leader resign from his second-in-command position at the bank.
The Taliban refuses to bow to these demands, saying it respects the rights of all Afghans within the framework of the interpretation of Islamic law.
Until there is a major shift in positions on both sides, there is no immediate solution in sight for prices, rising unemployment and hunger that worsen with the onset of winter.
“We are all heading towards darkness and misfortune,” said doctor Amena Arezo in the southeastern province of Ghazni. “People, especially women, have no future.”
(Reporting by Mohammad Yunus Yawar and Charlotte Greenfield)
source: Noticias
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