Afghanistan’s rulers are celebrating the anniversary of their return to power amid a deepening humanitarian crisis.
The Afghan Taliban celebrated their third anniversary in power with a military parade, paying tribute to homemade bombs, fighter jets and goose-stepping security forces.
Taliban forces dragged Soviet-era tanks and artillery guns through Bagram, the former U.S. air base, where Chinese and Iranian diplomats were among the hundreds who gathered for the parade and speeches on Wednesday.
The air base served as a hub for US-led operations against the Taliban for two decades.
On August 15, 2021, the Taliban captured Kabul after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile. The anniversary is observed one day earlier in the Afghan calendar.
The Taliban government is not recognized by any other state. And a key sticking point remains the restrictions on women, who bear the brunt of a policy that the United Nations describes as “gender apartheid.”
“Three years have passed since the girls’ dreams were buried,” Madina, a 20-year-old former university student in Kabul, told AFP.
“It is a bitter feeling that celebrating this day every year reminds us of the efforts, memories and goals we had for our future.”
Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who was scheduled to appear in Bagram, praised the victory of the Taliban authorities over the “Western occupiers” in a statement read by his chief of staff.
The Taliban government has “the responsibility to maintain Islamic rule, protect property and human lives, and uphold the respect of our nation,” he said.
Security has been a top priority for Taliban authorities as they consolidated their power over the past three years and enacted laws based on their strict interpretation of Islam.
Rugby player Samiullah Akmal praised the day’s events, saying they were “better than in other years.”
“As a young man, I see a bright future for Afghanistan… We are independent and the people around us belong to us.”
“Uncertain future”
While many Afghans expressed relief that 40 years of continuous conflict have come to an end, the economy continues to stagnate and the population is facing a deepening humanitarian crisis.
“The last three years have been some of the worst of our lives,” said Zalmai, 26, who works for a nonprofit organization and gave only his last name.
“I don’t know what kind of security the Taliban are talking about. People are starving, young people have no jobs… girls and boys face an uncertain future,” he said.
In a report, Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid said that while there have been attempts to revive the economy, no country accepts the Afghan rulers as the legitimate government and there are significant international financial restrictions.
“The Taliban claim they inherited a bankrupt country with a corrupt economic system that is dependent on foreign aid,” said Bin Javaid. “The foreign exchange reserves of the Afghan National Bank were also confiscated by the United States.”
In a joint statement by international non-governmental organizations, a growing gap in development aid financing was warned. 23.7 million people are dependent on humanitarian aid.
Women were pushed out of public life – they were excluded from many jobs, access to parks and gyms, and had no access to secondary and higher education.
Alison Davidian, head of UN Women’s Afghanistan office, told Al Jazeera: “Three years ago, a woman in Afghanistan could theoretically decide whether she wanted to run for president. Today, she may not even be able to decide when to go shopping.”
“I’m not saying it was perfect three years ago. It wasn’t perfect. But it wasn’t.”
