Taliban Fighters Turn Weapons on Afghan People as Independence Day Demonstrations Sweep Nation

Taliban gunmen reportedly opened fireplace Thursday on residents in Afghanistan as they waved their nationwide flag to have fun the nation’s 1919 independence from the then-British Empire.

Reuters reported quite a lot of individuals have been confirmed killed throughout an indication within the metropolis of Asadabad in japanese Afghanistan.

The outlet reported it couldn’t verify whether or not these individuals have been shot to demise or trampled. It appeared that flag-waving promoted aggression from the Taliban.

“Tons of of individuals got here out on the streets,” a witness named Mohammed Salim stated. “At first I used to be scared and didn’t wish to go however once I noticed one among my neighbours joined in, I took out the flag I’ve at residence.”

“A number of individuals have been killed and injured within the stampede and firing by the Taliban.”

Related flag demonstrations occurred elsewhere within the nation, together with in Kabul, the place rumors of Taliban violence have been additionally reported.

Photographs purporting to point out such demonstrations went viral on-line Thursday:

Round 200 Afghans rally and march in direction of Pashtunistan Sq. in Kabul with the Republic’s nationwide flags and banners, chanting:

“Demise to Pakistan”
“God Bless Afghanistan.”
“Lengthy Stay the Nationwide Flag of Afghanistan”

They tried elevating the flag on the sq.. pic.twitter.com/TJE6IL32gT

— Marcus Yam 文火 (@yamphoto) August 19, 2021

Highly effective. Afghans have fun 102nd Independence Day of Afghanistan waving the nationwide flag in Kabul right this moment. 🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/zIMJ0nZOFM

— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) August 19, 2021

Flag protests in Afg have taken consultants without warning. Taking place in a rustic whose govt/military simply withered away. I believe the flag is now the one connection this era of Afghans have with a rustic they grew up in. There’s a robust assertion inherent in these protests. pic.twitter.com/cmqtA1TxxL

— Nadeem Farooq Paracha (@NadeemfParacha) August 19, 2021

Afghan residents nonetheless holding their flag and protesting! World might have given up, they haven’t. pic.twitter.com/ZhKDBSke0j

— Madan Gowri (@madan3) August 19, 2021

August 19 is Afghanistan’s Independence Day, movies of Afghans throughout the nation taking down the flags of the Taliban and waving their very own flags are surfacing. Might God shield them. #AfghanResistance pic.twitter.com/9GquukfB9M

— Munazza Ebtikar (@mebtikar) August 19, 2021

Reuters reported that some Afghans had been noticed tearing down white Taliban banners. One video posted on Twitter confirmed an act of defiance towards the Taliban in broad daylight, reportedly in Kabul.

Afghans erecting nationwide flag in Abdul Haq sq. in #Kabul, in defiance of Taliban

The militants have changed the black, pink, and inexperienced nationwide flag with their very own white flags throughout #Afghanistan

However Afghans are braving threats, doable violence to mark Independence Day pic.twitter.com/xtFKL9ygxh

— Frud Bezhan فرود بيژن (@FrudBezhan) August 19, 2021

Afghan Independence Day is well known yearly on Aug. 19 to commemorate a treaty that separated the nation from British affect in 1919. British forces first occupied the nation within the nineteenth Century to make use of the area as a buffer zone between Russia and India.

This 12 months’s celebration comes because the Taliban has taken maintain of the nation following the chaotic exit of the U.S. navy ordered by President Joe Biden.

Quite a few buildings in Kabul mockingly this previous weekend noticed the Afghan nationwide flag removed by the Taliban. That’s the similar flag historically flown for the Aug. 19 nationwide vacation.

Life for therefore many city Afghanis is now overseas with the Taliban in management because the demographically younger nation is below the thumb of distant Pashtun terrorists for the primary time for the reason that U.S. pushed the group largely to the japanese portion of the nation starting after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror assaults.

Statista reported that in 2019, an estimated 42 % of Afghanistan’s inhabitants was 14 years previous or youthful, whereas roughly 55 % was between the ages of 15 and 64.