Taliban Mark 4th Anniversary in Power, Backed by Russian Nod
Taliban Marks 4 Years in Power, Russia Grants Recognition
KABUL: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers marked four years since sweeping back into power on Friday, buoyed by their first official nod of recognition — from Russia — and hoping the move will spur others to follow.
Celebrations were planned in several cities. In central Kabul, the group prepared for helicopters to scatter flowers over the streets, while the white-and-black flags of their self-styled “Islamic Emirate” hung from poles and balconies. It was all meant to commemorate August 15, 2021 — the day the capital fell and the last US-backed government crumbled.
On Thursday night, fighters gathered at a square near the long-shuttered US embassy, a potent symbol of their two decades of war with Washington. Flags waved, fireworks cracked against the sky, and the crowd swelled as people filmed on their phones.
Noticeably absent this year was the military parade once staged at Bagram Air Base, the former hub of US-led operations. The event, held with much fanfare last year, was quietly dropped from the program—no official reason given.
For all the pageantry, the Taliban’s government remains an outlier on the world stage. Only a handful of countries engage with it formally, and none — until Moscow’s move this week — have gone so far as to recognize it. That reluctance stems largely from the group’s strict interpretation of Islamic law, which has brought sweeping restrictions on women’s work, education, and movement, drawing sharp criticism from the West, the UN, and rights groups.
KABUL: In July, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban figures, accusing them of crimes against humanity for their treatment of women and girls. Under Taliban rule, women are blocked from most jobs and higher education and are banned from parks, gyms, and travelling without a male guardian.
The same month brought a diplomatic win for the group: Russia became the first country to formally recognize their administration, a step Taliban leaders hope others might eventually follow.
Formal recognition remains out of reach for much of the world, but Kabul has maintained working relationships with several countries, including China, the United Arab Emirates, and neighboring Central Asian states. On the Western side, officials say talks have been held in the capital with delegations from Norway, Britain, and the United States.
At home, the Taliban face little organized resistance. Their main challenges lie elsewhere — a weak economy, reduced foreign aid, and the sudden return of about four million Afghans expelled from neighboring countries.
On Thursday, independent human rights experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council urged governments not to normalize ties with the Taliban, calling their rule “violent and authoritarian.”
“Operating without legitimacy, the Taliban enforces an institutionalized system of gender oppression, crushes dissent, exacts reprisals, and muzzles independent media while showing outright contempt for human rights, equality, and non-discrimination,” the experts said in a statement.
Published in Daily Pak, August 15th, 2025
