BAGRAM, Afghanistan (TND) — According to the Associated Press, Taliban members celebrated the third anniversary of their return to power with a parade at a former US air base on Wednesday.
Images circulating on social media show uniformed soldiers flying helicopters and driving a convoy of armored trucks through the former Bagram Airfield, equipment reportedly left there since the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Afghan Deputy Prime Minister Maulvi Abdul Kabir said in a speech that “the Islamic Emirate has resolved internal differences and expanded the framework for unity and cooperation in the country.”
He added that no country would ever again be allowed to “interfere in internal affairs and Afghan soil will not be used against any country.”
The Taliban reportedly declared Wednesday a national holiday. Women were not allowed to take part in the celebrations, according to the Associated Press.
A retired military leader who was previously responsible for overseeing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 admitted in March that he did not know the number of Americans left behind.
“I’ll be honest: I don’t know the exact number of Americans left behind because the initial number was never clear,” said former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley.
Milley also admitted that he lacked information on the number of Afghans serving in the U.S. military, some of whom he said were killed “in a pretty brutal manner.”
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