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2w ago

Taliban Marks Fourth Anniversary with Flower-Shower Displays and Power Consolidation

The exclusion of women from official venues highlighted the regime’s continued gender repression.

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)
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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 to mark the Taliban’s fourth anniversary in power.
  • Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada warned of divine punishment for ingratitude and ordered officials to drop “acting” from their titles.
  • Three of six flower-shower sites and other official venues remained off-limits to women under existing bans on parks and recreational areas.
  • Women’s rights activists staged indoor protests decrying four years of exclusion from education, work and public life.
  • The Taliban highlighted Russia’s July recognition of its government despite ICC arrest warrants and global condemnation as Afghanistan faces a deepening humanitarian crisis.