Afghanistan: Taliban to drop flowers on Kabul from helicopters on anniversary

The Taliban will shower Kabul with flowers from helicopters to mark the fourth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan, an official says.

The Taliban seized control of the country on August 15, 2021, weeks before the United States and the NATO military alliance withdrew their forces after a costly two-decade war.

Defence Ministry helicopters will perform “beautiful aerial displays” above the Afghan capital on Friday to “shower the city” with colourful flowers, according to a note from Habib Ghofran, the spokesman for the Information and Culture Ministry.

There will be sports performances from Afghan athletes from the afternoon until the early evening, Ghofran said.

The planned celebrations come as Afghanistan struggles with a massive influx of refugees from neighbouring countries, a faltering economy and cuts in foreign funding, especially from the US.

Almost 10 million people face acute food insecurity and one in three children is stunted.

Black and white Taliban flags were displayed across Kabul on Thursday.

Ahsan Ullah Khan, from northern Sar-e-Pul province, encouraged the Afghan diaspora to return so they could see how peaceful the country was and how happy people were.

But Kabul resident Zafar Momand said Afghans needed more than peace.

“Along with peace we need employment and education opportunities. If these problems are solved then Afghanistan is the best country to live in,” Momand said.

“Women are also an important part of society. They should also have education and work opportunities.”

Females are barred from education beyond the sixth year, many jobs and most public spaces.

It was not immediately clear if women would be present at or permitted to attend the anniversary festivities.

UNESCO director-genera Audrey Azoulay said on Thursday that Afghanistan stood out as the only country in the world where secondary and higher education was strictly forbidden for girls and women.

“Nearly 2.2 million of them are now barred from attending school beyond primary level due to this regressive decision,” Azoulay said.

“This exclusion of women from public life has disastrous consequences for the country’s long-term development, where half the population already lives below the poverty line.”

Last year’s takeover anniversary celebrations were held at Bagram Airfield, once the centre of the US war to unseat the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaeda perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.

Women were barred from that event, including female journalists from the Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.