Particle.news
Download on the App Store
14 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Taliban Mark Fourth Anniversary With Flower Showers and Power Consolidation

Carefully orchestrated celebrations underscore the regime’s push for permanence despite international legal action and widespread suffering.

FILE - Taliban fighters take control of Afghan presidential palace after the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. (AP Photo/Zabi Karimi, File)
A man decorates his motorcycle with Taliban and Palestinian flags ahead of celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the US withdraw from Afghanistan and the start of the Taliban rule in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday Aug. 14 , 2025. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)
Image
A man sells Taliban flags at a stand ahead of celebrations marking the fourth anniversary of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the start of Taliban rule, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai)

Overview

  • Defense Ministry helicopters scattered flower petals over Kabul as a planned military parade was canceled in favor of male-only gatherings at venues like Loya Jirga Hall.
  • Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada warned of “severe punishment of Allah” for ingratitude and ordered Cabinet ministers to drop “acting” from their titles to formalize Taliban governance.
  • Women were barred from official festivities and staged indoor protests in Takhar province and Islamabad to denounce ongoing restrictions on education, work and public life.
  • The Taliban pointed to Russia’s July recognition of their administration even as the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for senior leaders over gender-based persecution.
  • Afghanistan’s deepening humanitarian crisis persists, with nearly 10 million people facing acute food insecurity, widespread displacement and cuts in foreign aid.