Taliban violently disperse rare protest; 1 killed, 6 wounded

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

By AHMAD SEIR, RAHIM FAIEZ, KATHY GANNON and JOSEPH KRAUSS

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Taliban violently broke up a protest in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least one person as they quashed a rare public show of dissent. The militant group meanwhile met with former officials from the toppled Western-backed government.

The insurgents’ every action in their sudden sweep to power is being watched closely. They insist they have changed and won’t impose the same draconian restrictions they did when they last ruled Afghanistan, all but eliminating women’s rights, carrying out public executions and harboring al-Qaida in the years before the 9/11 attacks.

But many Afghans remain deeply skeptical, and the violent response to Wednesday’s protest could only fuel their fears. Thousands are racing to the airport and borders to flee the country. Many others are hiding inside their homes, fearful after prisons and armories were emptied during the insurgents’ blitz across the country.

Dozens of people gathered in the eastern city of Jalalabad to raise the national flag a day before Afghanistan’s Independence Day, which commemorates the end of British rule in 1919. They lowered the Taliban flag — a white banner with an Islamic inscription — that the militants have raised in the areas they captured.



Taliban fighters patrol in the Wazir Akbar Khan neighborhood in the city of Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. The Taliban declared an "amnesty" across Afghanistan and urged women to join their government Tuesday, seeking to convince a wary population that they have changed a day after deadly chaos gripped the main airport as desperate crowds tried to flee the country. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)


Read more: https://apnews.com/article/religion-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-taliban-civil-wars-61e4bfcc8027e3952ee85c448773299b

[Texaswitchy]

1. No surprise.

The Taliban want to go back several centuries.

[Evolve Dammit]

2. After 45's introduced chaos and 1/6, I can see this here. Just more camo and flags

[mahatmakanejeeves]

3. Taliban in Afghan capital Kabul start collecting weapons from civilians

Taliban in Afghan capital Kabul start collecting weapons from civilians

[LiberatedUSA]

6. Gee...I wonder why. This could be a thread in and of itself.

[Bluepinky]

4. The Taliban men in the above photo look perfectly nice.

Who doesn’t feel safer with a group of men patrolling their neighborhood carrying assault weapons?

[EarlG]

8. American conservatives and the Taliban -- brothers in arms

[Bluepinky]

10. Goons with guns.

[Historic NY]

12. American Taliban...

[onecaliberal]

14. The modern day republican party is without doubt the American Taliban.

[Turbineguy]

5. I remember the EU paid for a football stadium

that the Taliban used for executing people. The Europeans said something about it and the Taliban spokesman told them they needed to pay for a place to shoot people, that way they would not have to use the stadium.

[riversedge]

7. Watch what they do, not what they say..

The #Taliban say they have changed but they are as brutal as ever!

[Lonestarblue]

13. Taliban leaders have learned the art of the political spin.

Their foot soldiers are still the backward, murderous terrorists the Taliban has always been—and will continue to be. They aren’t much different from the right-wing religious extremists and anti-government militias here.

[nowforever]

9. Truth

The media all of a sudden is truly concerned about the Afghani people and they are omniscient when it comes to what should have been done to save them. If this country still had a military draft there never would have been an Iraq or Afghan war, but it is so exciting to fight for freedom and bring death to foreign lands when your ass is safe.

[Historic NY]

11. Like throwing up the confederate flag on here

on Lincoln's birthday...people would be pissed off. Once again, everything the British touched in the region seems to made things worse, since 1842.