Photos: Patriotic music and flags mark Taliban rule anniversary in Kabul

In PicturesSaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkA Taliban fighter holds a yellow canister meant to represent a homemade explosive in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan, as he rides in a vehicle with children during celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the group’s return to power. [Atif Aryan/AFP]By AFP and APPublished On 16 Aug 202616 Aug 2026Thousands of Taliban supporters have poured into central Kabul, waving white flags and chanting religious slogans, as authorities marked five years since the group swept back into power and brought an end to the Western-backed republic.Convoys of cars and pick-up trucks festooned with Taliban banners rolled through the streets on Saturday towards a main gathering outside a compound housing key ministries. Heavily armed fighters stood guard around the area as senior officials addressed the crowd, praising what they called the “victory of the Islamic Emirate” and promising to continue enforcing their vision of governance.Taliban leaders used the anniversary to claim credit for restoring security and national sovereignty, pointing to the absence of large-scale fighting since foreign troops withdrew and the previous government collapsed in August 2021. Officials repeated longstanding demands for international recognition, arguing that engagement rather than sanctions and isolation is needed to stabilise the country.Afghanistan’s economy remains fragile. Billions of dollars in state reserves remain frozen abroad, banking restrictions have squeezed businesses and aid agencies warn that millions of Afghans still rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. Many Kabul residents who stayed away from the rally said unemployment, rising prices and shrinking freedoms overshadow any sense of security they may feel.At the gathering, however, attendees voiced a different narrative. Supporters credited the Taliban with ending what they see as foreign occupation, reducing crime and keeping major roads open. For them, the anniversary was a moment to celebrate what they view as a governing system finally free of external interference – even as the country remains divided over what that system has delivered and what it has taken away in the five years since the Taliban’s return.UNESCO estimated that 2.4 million girls have been excluded from secondary education. Another United Nations agency, the World Food Programme, said child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is expected to worsen due to funding shortfalls.Taliban security personnel dance while holding a launcher for rocket-propelled grenades during celebrations at Ahmad Shah Massoud Square in Kabul, Afghanistan. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]A flower seller arranges bouquets before celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power. [Nava Jamshidi/AP Photo]Four girls hold Taliban flags in Kabul on the eve of commemorations marking the fifth anniversary of the US withdrawal and the Taliban’s return to power. [Nava Jamshidi/AP Photo]Afghan roller skaters perform stunts during celebrations marking the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power near the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]A Taliban security officer holds a marigold and a gun at a sports event during the anniversary celebrations. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]A portrait of Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani is displayed on a car in Kabul during the celebrations. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]Afghan children collect flowers dropped from a military helicopter during an athletes parade. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]Dancing to loud patriotic music and taking selfies, supporters of the Taliban rallied in central Kabul to celebrate its government's five years in power. [Nava Jamshidi/AP Photo]People pack into cars and spill out of windows, sunroofs and the back of pick-up trucks, waving the white flag of the Taliban government. [Atif Aryan/AFP]An burqa-clad woman in Mazar-i-Sharif sells Taliban flags during celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of its return to power. [Atif Aryan/AFP]Taliban officials watch athletes perform near the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul during celebrations to mark the fifth anniversary of their return to power. [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]Afghan men near the Eidgah Mosque in Kabul watch cyclists perform during the anniversary celebrations . [Wakil Kohsar/AFP]Young Afghans hold a bloodstained effigy of US President Donald Trump during the anniversary celebrations in Herat. [Mohsen Karimi/AFP]Hundreds of Afghans gather just metres from the former embassy of the United States, whose drawdown of troops resulted in the chaotic exit of foreign forces in 2021. [Siddiqullah Alizai/AP Photo]