In Afghanistan militants wage resistance against Islamic regime Taliban. Clashes broke out during a demonstration for women’s rights in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan. Local journalists reported on Saturday that at least one woman was injured. In the only province of Pandjir not yet occupied by the Taliban, fighting continues.
According to videos from local TV stations and activists, the demonstration resulted in chaotic scenes. Around two dozen women initially staged a peaceful protest near Rashtrapati Bhavan, as can be seen in the pictures shared on social media. They had signs in their hands that read, for example: “We are not the women of 20 years ago” or “Equality – justice – democracy!”.
In the video, the women can be seen surrounded by 50 or more Taliban security forces and fighting a shouting battle with the Taliban. Many of them cough. A Taliban commander asks over the loudspeaker “…wait, what’s the problem, what do you want, the girls have no problem, okay?”, while a young woman’s voice can be heard in the background: “Why are you killing Are we?” Local journalists shared a video of a woman bleeding from her head.
“We are not the women of 20 years ago”
In a video made by activists during the protest, a woman says women educated themselves to work in high-ranking government positions. “What is our fault that they sidelined us today?” she asks.
The woman who recorded the video said that the peaceful protest of the women was again suppressed by the Taliban. They fired warning shells and fired tear gas.
The video and information could not be independently verified initially. CNN also reported on the women’s protests. Earlier on Friday, many women demonstrated for women’s rights in Kabul. One participant, Tarnam Sajidi, told the German Press Agency on Saturday that the situation forced them to take to the streets and claim their rights. He has three university degrees and now wants him to stay at home. The Taliban only wanted women in lower positions.
During the Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001, women in Afghanistan were no longer allowed to work and were only allowed to leave home with a male member of the family. He was forbidden to speak or laugh out loud in public. Girls were also thrown out of school. As Islamists have repeatedly come to power, many women fear they will re-enact similar rules for them.
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The leader of a resistance group against the Taliban said on Saturday he wanted to continue fighting. “We will never give up fighting for God, freedom and justice,” Achmad Masood said on his Facebook page. For the past five days, there have been clashes between the Taliban and National Resistance Front fighters around Punjir, the only province in the country not yet controlled by the Taliban.
Originally, both sides had stated that they wanted to resolve the open question of power through dialogue. A spokesman for the National Resistance Front wrote on Twitter this week that the Taliban had offered Masood a position in a future government and protection of his assets. However, he refused and justified it with the fact that he was not pursuing any personal interests. There has been no statement from the Taliban so far.
The fight over Punjir is likely to intensify in the last few days. Both sides said that they inflicted heavy damages on the other side. During his first regime between 1996 and 2001, Pandjir could not be captured by the Taliban. In addition to the bitter resistance of the Northern Alliance, this was also due to the geographical location – the entrance to the valley is narrow and easy to defend.
Perhaps on Friday night following false rumors that Punjir had fallen, Taliban fighters happily opened fire for minutes in the capital, Kabul. Apparently many people were killed or injured as a result. NGO Emergency’s Hospital announced on Saturday that it had treated at least ten wounded people who were gunshot wounds since Friday evening. Two people who were injured by the bullets had already been taken to the hospital, who had died.
