Taliban celebrate fourth anniversary of return to power

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers celebrated the fourth anniversary of their return to power in August, with Defence Ministry helicopters scattering flowers from the air to crowds below.

- 

Some 10,000 people gathered across the capital, Kabul, in six locations to watch the "flower shower."

The Taliban seized control of Afghanistan on Aug.15, 2021, as the US and Nato withdrew their forces at the end of a two-decade war.

The anniversary programme also comprised speeches from key cabinet members. An outdoor sports performance, initially expected to feature Afghan athletes, did not take place.

Members of the United Afghan Women's Movement for Freedom staged an indoor protest on Friday in northeast Takhar province against Taliban rule.

Earlier in the day, the Taliban leader warned God would severely punish Afghans who were ungrateful for Islamic rule in the country, according to a statement.