KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban rulers and other officials gathered at Afghanistan's traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall on Saturday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their return to power, touting what they described as restored stability and an end to decades of conflict.
A top United Nations official, however, warned of a grave human rights crisis in Afghanistan, where girls over age 12 are barred from attending school.
The Taliban seized power on Aug. 15, 2021, as the U.S. and other NATO troops withdrew following a costly two-decade war. The U.S. withdrawal led to chaos at Kabul airport as crowds of people tried to flee the country in desperation.
Soon after taking power, the Taliban administration imposed a ban on girls' education beyond the sixth grade and later banned higher education for women, despite having pledged before the takeover that women would be allowed access to education, employment and public participation.
Women have also been banned from public spaces such as gyms and parks, from taking part in sports and traveling to distant locations without a male guardian.
Taliban hails 'liberation' from American forces
At the Loya Jirga, high-ranking officials were joined by some foreign representatives and thousands of ordinary citizens for speeches marking what they said was Afghanistan's liberation from American forces.
"We pray to Almighty God to forever protect our homeland from occupation, aggression, wars, and insecurity, and to enable our people to enjoy peace, tranquility, and prosperity under the auspices of the Sharia-based government," the Taliban government's deputy spokesman, Hamdullah Fitrat, said during the ceremony.
Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy prime minister in charge of administrative affairs, said the Taliban rule ended an era of external interventions and internal strife in Afghanistan "over the past half-century," restoring security.
"At least 300 Afghan youth were martyred or killed every day," Hanafi said. "Three hundred sisters would become widows, several children would become orphans and 300 mothers would be grieving. Praise be to God, with the rule of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, this tragedy was removed from the Afghan nation."
There were no women present at the ceremony.
Top Taliban official calls for more international engagement
Five years on, the Taliban government remains isolated internationally, with Russia being the only country to have recognized it formally.
Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said countries that have engaged with the administration have gained from doing so and called on others that have not established contacts to reconsider their approach.
"They should move towards a policy of engagement and mutual interaction," he said.
