Taliban govt celebrates first anniversary of US withdrawal from Afghanistan

Picture source - AFP

The Taliban government declared Wednesday a national holiday and lit up the capital to celebrate the first anniversary of the US withdrawal of soldiers from Afghanistan after a 20-year war.

On Wednesday, flags flying in Kabul commemorated wins over three empires, including the former Soviet Union and Britain, both of which lost wars in Afghanistan.

Many Afghans say they are relieved the foreign army that sparked the Taliban war has left, despite the restrictions and a worsening humanitarian catastrophe.

The longest war in American history that started after the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York was finished with the departure of soldiers at midnight on August 31 of last year.

Around 66,000 Afghan soldiers and 48,000 civilians died in this war. A total of 2,461 US service members and more than 3,500 soldiers from NATO nations also lost their lives.

The US military said on Tuesday, “More people than only Americans had to bear the brunt of the war in Afghanistan.”

The crowd of Taliban fighters lit up the night sky over Kabul with fireworks and jubilant gunfire to celebrate the US withdrawal late on Tuesday.