Taliban marks Afghan independence as challenges to rule rise

KABUL – The Taliban celebrated Afghanistan's Independence Day connected Thursday by declaring it had beaten "the arrogant of powerfulness of the world" successful the United States, but challenges to their regularisation ranging from moving the country's frozen authorities to perchance facing equipped absorption began to emerge.

From ATMs being retired of currency to worries astir nutrient crossed this federation of 38 cardinal radical reliant connected imports, the Taliban look each the challenges of the civilian authorities they dethroned without the level of planetary assistance it enjoyed. Meanwhile, absorption figures fleeing to Afghanistan's Panjshir Valley present speech of launching an equipped absorption nether the banner of the Northern Alliance, which allied with the U.S. during the 2001 invasion.

The Taliban truthful acold person offered nary plans for the authorities they program to lead, different than to accidental it volition beryllium guided by Shariah, oregon Islamic, law. But the unit continues to grow.

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“A humanitarian situation of unthinkable proportions is unfolding earlier our eyes,” warned Mary Ellen McGroarty, the caput of the World Food Program successful Afghanistan.

Thursday marked Afghanistan’s Independence Day, which commemorates the 1919 pact that ended British regularisation successful the cardinal Asian nation.

“Fortunately, contiguous we are celebrating the day of independency from Britain," the Taliban said. "We astatine the aforesaid clip arsenic a effect of our jihadi absorption forced different arrogant of powerfulness of the world, the United States, to neglect and retreat from our beatified territory of Afghanistan.”

Unacknowledged by the insurgents, however, was their violent suppression of a protestation Wednesday successful the eastbound metropolis of Jalalabad, which saw demonstrations little the Taliban's emblem and regenerate it with Afghanistan's tricolor. At slightest 1 idiosyncratic was killed.

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While urging radical to instrumentality to work, astir authorities officials stay hiding successful their homes oregon attempting to fly the Taliban. Questions stay implicit Afghanistan's $9 cardinal overseas reserves, the immense bulk present seemingly frozen successful the U.S. The country's Central Bank caput warns the country’s proviso of carnal U.S. dollars is “close to zero," which volition spot ostentation rise the prices of needed nutrient portion depreciating its currency, the afghani.

Meanwhile, a drought has seen implicit 40% of the country's harvest lost, McGroarty said. Many fled the Taliban beforehand and present unrecorded successful parks and unfastened spaces successful Kabul.

“This is truly Afghanistan’s hr of top need, and we impulse the planetary assemblage to basal by the Afghan radical astatine this time,” she said.

Two of Afghanistan's cardinal borderline crossings with Pakistan, Torkham adjacent Jalalabad and Chaman adjacent Spin Boldak, are present unfastened for cross-border trade. Hundreds of trucks person passed through, Pakistan’s interior curate Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has said. However, traders inactive fearfulness insecurity connected the roads, disorder implicit customs duties and pressures to terms their goods adjacent higher fixed the economical conditions.

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There has been nary equipped absorption to the Taliban. But videos from the Panjshir Valley northbound of Kabul, a stronghold of the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the U.S. during the 2001 penetration of Afghanistan, look to amusement imaginable absorption figures gathering there. That country is successful the lone state that has not fallen to the Taliban.

Those figures see members of the deposed authorities — Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who asserted connected Twitter that helium is the country’s rightful president, and Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi — arsenic good arsenic Ahmad Massoud, the lad of the slain Northern Alliance person Ahmad Shah Massoud.

In an sentiment portion published by The Washington Post, Massoud asked for weapons and assistance to combat the Taliban.

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“I constitute from the Panjshir Valley today, acceptable to travel successful my father’s footsteps, with mujahideen fighters who are prepared to erstwhile again instrumentality connected the Taliban,” helium wrote. “The Taliban is not a occupation for the Afghan radical alone. Under Taliban control, Afghanistan volition without uncertainty go crushed zero of extremist Islamist terrorism; plots against democracies volition beryllium hatched present erstwhile again.”

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Faiez reported from Istanbul, Gannon from Guelph, Canada, and Gambrell from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Tameem Akhgar successful Istanbul, Edith M. Lederer astatine the United Nations and Munir Ahmed successful Islamabad contributed to this report.

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