KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – Taliban special forces in camouflage fired their weapons into the air on Saturday, putting an abrupt and terrifying end to the latest protest march in the capital of Afghan women demanding equal rights for newcomers rulers.
Also on Saturday, the head of the powerful Pakistani intelligence agency, which has excessive influence over the Taliban, paid a surprise visit to Kabul.
Taliban fighters quickly captured most of Afghanistan last month and celebrated the departure of the last U.S. forces after 20 years of war. Now the insurgent group must rule a war-ravaged country that is heavily dependent on international aid.
The women’s march – the second in so many days in Kabul – began peacefully. Protesters placed a wreath outside the Afghan Ministry of Defense to honor Afghan soldiers who died fighting the Taliban before marching on the presidential palace.
“We are here to win human rights in Afghanistan,” said Maryam Naiby, a 20-year-old protester. “I love my country. I will always be here. “
As the shouts of the protesters increased, several Taliban officials entered the crowd to ask them what they meant.
Flanked by other protesters, Sudaba Kabiri, a 24-year-old college student, told her Taliban interlocutor that the prophet of Islam gave rights to women and that they wanted theirs. The Taliban official promised the women that their rights would be granted, but the women, who were in their twenties, were skeptical.
When protesters arrived at the presidential palace, a dozen Taliban special forces rushed against the crowd, firing into the air and sending fleeing protesters. Kabiri, who spoke to The Associated Press, said they also fired tear gas.
The Taliban have promised inclusive government and a more moderate form of Islamic government than when they last ruled the country from 1996 to 2001. But many Afghans, especially women, are deeply skeptical and fear a retreat from the rights acquired during the two last decades. .
For much of the past two weeks, Taliban officials have held meetings with each other amid reports of differences between them emerging. In the early hours of Saturday, the powerful intelligence chief of neighboring Pakistan, Faiez Hameed, paid a surprise visit to Kabul. It was not immediately clear what to say to the Taliban leadership, but the Pakistani intelligence service has a strong influence on the Taliban.
The Taliban leadership was based in Pakistan and was often said to be in direct contact with the powerful inter-service intelligence agency. Although Pakistan routinely refused to provide Taliban military aid, the accusation was often made by the Afghan government and Washington.
Faiez’s visit comes when the world hopes to see what kind of government the Taliban will finally announce, seeking a government that includes and guarantees the protection of the rights of women and minorities in the country.
The Taliban have promised a broad-based government and held talks with former President Hamid Karzai and former government chief negotiator Abdullah Abdullah. But the composition of the new government is uncertain and it was unclear whether hard-line ideologues among the Taliban will win the day and whether there will be setbacks feared by women protesters.
Taliban members whitewashed murals promoting health care on Saturday, warned of the dangers of HIV and even paid tribute to some of Afghan foreign collaborators, such as anthropologist Nancy Dupree, who individually called the rich cultural legacy of Afghanistan. It was a worrying sign of attempts to erase reminders of the last twenty years.
The murals were replaced with slogans congratulating the Afghans on their victory.
A spokesman for the Taliban cultural commission, Ahmadullah Muttaqi, tweeted that the murals were painted “because they are against our values. They were ruining the minds of the mujahideen and instead we wrote slogans that will be useful to everyone.
Meanwhile, the young women protesters said they had to challenge concerned families to continue their protests, even fleeing their homes to bring their demands for equal rights to the new rulers.
Farhat Popalzai, another 24-year-old college student, said he wanted to be the voice of voiceless women in Afghanistan, who are also afraid to take to the streets.
“I’m the voice of women who can’t speak.” she said. “They think this is a man’s country, but it’s not, it’s also a woman’s country.”
Popalzai and his fellow protesters are too young to remember the Taliban rule that ended in 2001 with the U.S.-led invasion. They say their fear is based on the stories they have heard from women who were not allowed to go to school and work.
Naiby, a 20-year-old, already operates a women’s organization and is a spokeswoman for the Afghan Paralympics. He reflected on the tens of thousands of Afghans heading to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport to flee Afghanistan after the Taliban reached the capital on 15 August.
“They were scared,” but for her she said the fight is in Afghanistan.