The Taliban government celebrated five years of ruling Afghanistan on Saturday (August 15, 2026), with supporters taking to the streets, while critics decried tightening restrictions in all areas of daily life.
including in Europe, their government is still only recognised by Russia Although Taliban officials have forged ties with multiple countries. Taliban fighters took Kabul unopposed on August 15, 2021, after a lightning offensive that swept across Afghanistan, toppling government forces in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops.
Afghans packed into cars decorated with flags and drove around Kabul on a day that government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said “will be written in golden lines in the history of Afghanistan”. Asif Khan Barakzai, a 21-year-old in Kabul, said “with the arrival of the Islamic Emirate, I feel peace, comfort and calmness in Afghanistan”, referring to the Taliban administration. Afghans also rallied in other key cities including southern Kandahar, home to the supreme leader, and western Herat where stuntmen performed in the streets, AFP journalists said. Zia Ahmad Takal, a foreign ministry spokesman, invited countries to “come here, invest, and make extensive use of the available economic opportunities” in Afghanistan. Some countries have opted to limit their relations with the Taliban authorities until there are changes in Afghanistan, where people are suffering “very real harm” according to the United Nations. Earlier reporting noted: Outside the former US embassy in Kabul, armoured Taliban vehicles took part in a parade, displaying flags and banners, and celebrating what the government described as “victory day” from Western domination. Earlier reporting noted: Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s interior minister, said in a video address that their return to power was the result of “morale, courage” and “divine assistance.”
Earlier reporting noted: The Taliban marked five years in power on Saturday, seeking to portray their government as in control even as aid and rights groups warned of escalating crises.
