Marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the group’s reclusive leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, warned that Afghans who fail to show gratitude for Islamic rule would face “severe punishment” from God. In a statement shared by Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, Akhundzada said Afghans had endured decades of hardship to establish Sharia law, which he claimed had freed the country from “corruption, oppression, usurpation, drugs, theft, robbery, and plunder.”
He urged Afghans to express thanks to Allah during Victory Day commemorations and announced that ministers should drop the word “acting” from their titles, signifying the Taliban’s permanent rule. The statement also called for building more mosques, promoting religious education, and protecting citizens from “harmful ideologies.”
While officials in Kabul planned floral showers and sports displays for the occasion, Afghanistan remains mired in a humanitarian crisis, worsened by climate change, mass deportations from Iran and Pakistan, and reduced foreign aid.
Rights groups and the UN continue to condemn the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls, who remain barred from higher education, many jobs, and most public spaces. Women-led protests marked the anniversary in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Takhar province, members of the United Afghan Women’s Movement for Freedom called August 15 “a dark day” and vowed to resist Taliban oppression. In Islamabad, Afghan women held signs declaring that “forgiving the Taliban is an act of enmity against humanity.”