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Afghan nationals in India observe I-Day amid protests against Taliban back home
On Thursday, locals in Afghanistan defied the Taliban for the second consecutive day as they waved their national flag at rallies across several provinces, and received violent response from the group. An unverified video from Afghanistan shared on social media showed how Afghans, who were waving the national flag, were fired at.
Afghan nationals in India celebrated their 102nd Independence Day in New Delhi on Thursday as they expressed solidarity with their fellow citizens back home amid the recent takeover of the Taliban. They raised their national flag, which comprises black, red and green stripes, on the day that commemorates the 1919 treaty which ended British rule in Afghanistan. “We are not able to celebrate Independence Day in Afghanistan due to the Taliban,” one of the participants in Delhi told news agency ANI.
“Today’s our independence day, but the Taliban are there (in Afghanistan),” another participant in Delhi told ANI, adding that three people died during the celebrations in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad.
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On Thursday, locals in Afghanistan defied the Taliban for the second consecutive day as they waved their national flag at rallies across several provinces, and received violent response from the group. An unverified video from Afghanistan shared on social media showed how Afghans, who were waving the national flag, were fired at. Three more protesters were killed in the Asadabad city of Kunar province, according to the Associated Press.
Reports also said that several Afghans tore the Taliban’s flag.
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The Taliban have appealed to Afghanistan’s imams to urge unity when they hold their first Friday prayers after the group gained control of the country but protests against them have now expanded to more cities. The Taliban also urged people to not run away from Afghanistan as scores of locals have been desperate to flee.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon said on Thursday that as many as 7,000 people have been evacuated from Afghanistan since the beginning of the evacuation operations from August 14 and more than 5,200 US troops are there in Kabul.
“Since the start of evacuation operations on August 14, we have airlifted approximately 7,000 total evacuees. This increase is reflective of both a ramp-up of aircraft and airlift capability, faster processing of evacuees, and greater information and fidelity in reporting,” Major General Hank Taylor, the commanding general of the Army Operational Test Command, told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.
