Second Anniversary of Kabul's Capture; Criticism of the Taliban Government Continues

The Taliban celebrated Saturday, August 24, as 'Victory over America' and declared it a holiday, while criticisms of the group's government continue on the second anniversary of its rise to power. These criticisms include issues related to women's education and employment, as well as media freedom. The Taliban, which was a rebel group in Afghanistan until two years ago, captured Kabul, the capital of the country, on August 24, 1400 in the Persian calendar (August 15, 2021), marking the end of two decades of conflict in Afghanistan as the last NATO forces led by the United States withdrew. In this context, the Afghan Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs declared Tuesday as 'the day of victory of the Afghan people's jihad led by the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban against America and its allies.' Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson for the Taliban government, told Voice of America, 'It is time for America and others to officially recognize our government, as this is the right of the Afghan people, and withholding it is not a positive step.' He added that 'the issue is not women's education and work; these are just excuses... Unfortunately, the acceptance of an Islamic government is difficult for the West or the countries that have failed in Afghanistan. Therefore, they are unwilling to recognize us.' Given the restrictions on most women’s access to work, the prohibition of education for women and girls, and other human rights concerns, no foreign country has yet recognized the legitimacy of the Taliban government in Afghanistan. The United Nations has also indefinitely postponed recognizing the Taliban government. Mujahid stated that the Islamic Emirate of the Taliban has met all necessary conditions for Afghanistan to join the international community over the past two years, claiming that the Taliban government has 'established peace and security, stabilized the economy, ended illegal poppy cultivation and trafficking, and guaranteed women's inheritance rights.' Despite his criticism of why the Taliban government has not been officially accepted by the international community, he added, 'We have official relations with several countries. Our visits and cooperation with those countries are diplomatic and official. We have opened Afghan embassies in many countries, and their embassies are also operating in Kabul... We consider this an official acceptance of the Islamic Emirate and are no longer concerned about this issue.' The Taliban spokesperson also urged Western countries to release nearly $9 billion of Afghanistan's central bank assets, which are mostly frozen in the United States. Mujahid's remarks come at a time when press freedom observers report that dozens of journalists are imprisoned in Afghanistan. It is said that the Taliban's General Directorate of Intelligence is behind the repression of journalists. The Committee to Protect Journalists stated that despite the Taliban's initial promise for press freedom, they have closed dozens of local media outlets, banned some international news networks, and rejected visas for foreign journalists. Meanwhile, the numerous restrictions imposed by the Taliban on women, including in education and employment, have drawn severe criticism towards the group. In this regard, the online newspaper 'Etemad-e-Rooz' reported on the second anniversary of the Taliban's rise to power: 'In the third decade of the 21st century, the Taliban government has deprived Afghan women and girls of their right to education, employment, and basic civil liberties.' The online newspaper noted that 'women and girls are not allowed to attend school and university, work, or enjoy their civil rights,' adding, 'The Taliban, which was thought to have distanced itself from its harsh and oppressive policies against women in this round, has revived all the misogynistic methods of its first rule three decades ago.' 'Etemad-e-Rooz' concluded that 'Afghan women have suffered the most from the Taliban's return to power.' This Afghan online media pointed out that 'the prevailing situation in Afghanistan has affected the entirety of Afghanistan on both domestic and global levels, and as a result, the country is increasingly heading towards absolute collapse in economic poverty, political isolation, and cultural and educational destruction.' According to this newspaper, 'The Taliban's approach towards Afghan citizens based on occupation, ethnicity, gender, etc., contains a wide range of violent and repressive behaviors.'