Five years after returning to power, the Taliban are staging their victory with celebrations across the country. While Islamists celebrate themselves as a guarantee of stability, criticism of human rights violations and the plight of many Afghans is intensifying.
lags, speeches and flowers from military helicopters: The islamist Taliban in Afghanistan, their coming to power was celebrated five years ago. „Today, the worldviews and values of the Afghan government and nation are in harmony“, said Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaki at a ceremony in the capital Kabul broadcast by state broadcaster RTA.
A report by the Afghan television channel Tolonews showed flowers being dropped from a military helicopter over Kabul. The Taliban flags in the capital had already been renewed in the past few days with black letters on a white background. Media reports also showed ceremonies and car corsos in other parts of the country.
Afghanistan mission lasted almost 20 years
After the announcement of the withdrawal of NATO and US troops in late summer 2021, the Taliban took Kabul on August 15th with virtually no resistance. Chaotic conditions followed, including at the airport, when Western countries tried to evacuate their own personnel and Afghan employees.
Previously, after the attacks by the terrorist group Al Qaeda on targets in the USA on September 11, 2001, an international coalition in Afghanistan waged war against the Taliban, who were then ruling the country for the first time. They were accused of harbouring Al Qaeda.
The American armed forces alone lost more than 2,300 soldiers in the Hindu Kush in the years up to 2021. The Bundeswehr mourned 59 casualties Brown University estimates that over 46,000 civilians and nearly 70,000 Afghan security forces were killed in the nearly twenty-year war.
Criticism of the federal government in its dealings with the Taliban
Afghanistan is going through a serious humanitarian crisis today – access to international aid is also severely limited due to Taliban rule. Islamists are massively restricting freedom of expression and especially freedoms and access to education for women and girls. Critics complain that, on the one hand, the German federal government does not recognize the Taliban because of their human rights violations, but at the same time makes practical concessions to enable deportations.
