Taliban Marks Four Years in Power as Russia Grants First Official Recognition
Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their return to power on Friday, celebrating with parades and festivities, buoyed by Russia’s recent move to officially recognise their government, a diplomatic breakthrough they hope will inspire others to follow suit.
In Kabul, white-and-black flags of the Taliban’s self-declared Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan lined the streets, and helicopters were scheduled to drop flowers over the capital to commemorate August 15, 2021, the day they seized the city and toppled the Western-backed government.
On Thursday night, Taliban supporters gathered near the now-closed U.S. embassy, once the symbol of their main enemy during two decades of insurgency, waving flags and lighting fireworks, according to AFP reporters.
Unlike last year, when the anniversary was marked with a high-profile military parade at Bagram Airbase, once the hub of U.S.-led operations no such display took place this year, with authorities offering no explanation.
While the Taliban’s rule remains internationally unrecognised by most nations due to their hardline policies particularly against women Russia’s recognition in early July marked a significant political win.
Kabul also maintains close ties, albeit without formal recognition, with several Central Asian countries, China, and the United Arab Emirates.
Western engagement has been limited but notable, with Taliban officials reporting recent talks in Kabul with representatives from Norway, Britain, and the United States.
The Taliban faces minimal domestic opposition, but economic hardship, cuts in foreign aid, and the return of some four million Afghans expelled from neighbouring countries present steep challenges.
Their human rights record continues to draw global condemnation. In July, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders over alleged crimes against humanity, citing their systematic persecution of women and girls including bans on secondary and higher education, most employment, access to parks and gyms, and travel without a male guardian.
On Thursday, UN-appointed independent experts urged the world not to normalise relations with the Taliban, condemning what they called a “violent and authoritarian rule.”
“Operating without legitimacy, the Taliban enforces an institutionalised system of gender oppression, crushes dissent, exacts reprisals, and muzzles independent media while showing outright contempt for human rights, equality, and non-discrimination,” their statement read.
