Several protesters were reportedly killed by Taliban terrorists who opened fire at crowds of Afghans during the nation’s Independence Day.
The footage of gunfire in cities across Afghanistan emerged as flag-waving protesters took to the streets in several cities in defiance of the Taliban spread.
“Our flag, our identity,” a crowd of protesting men and women chanted as they waved the Afghan national flag.
In Asadabad, the capital of the eastern province of Kunar, several people were killed during a rally, though it was not immediately clear if the casualties resulted from Taliban terrorists’ gunfire, or from a stampede that was triggered after the shootings, according to a witness, cited by media reports as saying.
Independence Day in Afghanistan is typically celebrated on Aug. 19, when it gained independence from British rule in 1919.
On Wednesday, media reported that Taliban forces fired directly into a crowd of other demonstrators in the city of Jalalabad, three people reportedly died from the gunfire.
The insurgent’s reaction to the protests, which have included Afghans tearing down white Taliban flags, according to reports, could determine whether people put faith in their assurances that they have changed since their 1996–2001 rule when they severely restricted women and staged public executions.
