June 17 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Afghan fundamentalist Taliban movement has declared the anniversary of the last US military withdrawal from the country, nearly two years ago, as a national holiday.
The entire country will begin to commemorate every August 31 the departure of the international forces represented in the departure, on August 30, 2021, of General Chris Donahue, who left Afghan soil in flight from the airport in the capital, Kabul, according to reports. informed the Taliban Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.
The departure of General Donahue marked the definitive consolidation of the Taliban reconquest of the country, which had culminated 15 days earlier with the seizure of the capital by fundamentalists.
The international forces ended up leaving the capital two weeks before the scheduled date, in the midst of a tortuous evacuation process marked by the great attack by the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State, which left at least 183 dead, including 13 US soldiers.
Since then, the country has been under the absolute control of the group — except for certain isolated pockets of resistance in the north of the country, practically harmless — whose main security threat is the jihadist organization.
Otherwise, the Taliban have reimposed the strict version of Islam they espoused during their previous rule until 2001 and restricted the freedom of women and other vulnerable populations.
No country in the world recognizes the movement as a legitimate government, but the Taliban maintain regular diplomatic contacts with the countries of the region, as well as with international agencies and organizations.
