(ProsperNews.net) – In commemoration of the third anniversary of the disorganized withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban celebrated by parading through a former American air base brandishing weapons and vehicles left behind by the US.
The Taliban celebrated three years free of American troops on Wednesday, Aug. 14, at Bagram Airfield Base. The display at the air base was symbolic to the Taliban because it was once the center of US efforts to overthrow them as well as drive out members of al-Qaeda from the region after the 9/11 attacks.
The parade included soldiers marching with rifles and machine guns and also featured a formation of motorcyclists carrying the Taliban flag. Afghani men also drove around the streets of Kabul in pickup trucks full of people. Taliban Cabinet members also delivered remarks celebrating the new government’s alleged achievements, including “peace and security” from the establishment of a strong military system as well as increasing the strength of Islamic law.
Long War Journal editor and Foundation for Defense of Democracies senior fellow Bill Roggio, a US Army veteran, told reporters that the Taliban were “rubbing their victory” in America’s face. Roggio said the parade demonstrated the overall failure of America in the region and blamed the Biden administration for the Taliban’s possession of “an American-supplied arsenal” by getting out of Afghanistan quickly, a decision that received widespread backlash.
After the US pulled out in August 2021, Taliban insurgents quickly took over the nation again and overthrew the Western-trained Afghani army in just a few days. During the chaotic evacuation, suicide bombers massacred 183 people at the Kabul airport, which included 13 US soldiers, resulting in a drone strike retaliation against ISIS that killed 10 Afghanis.
No country yet recognizes the legitimacy of the Islamic Emirate as the government of Afghanistan, and speeches at the parade were certainly aimed at an international audience to try and shift that sentiment. The event was the largest celebration since the Taliban retook the nation in 2021. About 10,000 men attended, including senior military and government officials, although Supreme Leader Hitbatullah Akhundzada was not there.
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