Taliban Shoots Crowd During Afghanistan Independence Day, Several People Killed

JAKARTA - Several people are said to have been killed in Asadabad, Afghanistan when the Taliban opened fire on a crowd waving the national flag, on Taliban Independence Day, Thursday local time.

The protests by people waving Afghan flags, in some cases after the toppling of the white Taliban flag according to media, are the first signs of opposition to the Taliban since the successful capture of Kabul and the government on Sunday.

It was not clear whether the casualties in Asadabad were the result of the shooting or the stampede that was triggered, said witness Mohammed Salim from the eastern city, the capital of Kunar province.

"Hundreds of people took to the streets. At first, I was scared and didn't want to go, but when I saw one of my neighbors joining in, I took out the flag I had at home", Salim said reported Reuters Thursday, August 19

"Several people were killed and injured in raids and shootings by the Taliban", he continued. A Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

There were also protests but no reports of serious violence in the eastern city of Jalalabad and a district in Paktia province, media reported.

To note, Afghanistan celebrated its 1919 independence from British control on 19 August.

Last Wednesday, Taliban fighters opened fire on protesters waving Afghanistan's black, red and green national flag in Jalalabad, killing three people, witnesses and media reported.

Media reported similar scenes in Asadabad and another eastern city, Khost, on Wednesday with protesters in several places tearing down white banners of the Taliban's Islam.

The crackdown on the protests will cast new doubts on the Taliban's guarantees they have changed since the 1996-2001 rule when they severely restricted women, carried out public executions, and blew up ancient Buddha statues.

The Taliban in their first press conference Tuesday said they wanted peace, would not take revenge against old enemies and would respect women's rights.

While conditions in Kabul have generally been calm since Taliban forces entered on Sunday, the airport has been in chaos as people scrambled to find their way out of the country.

To note, twelve people have died in and around the airport since a NATO and Taliban official said. The deaths were caused either by gunfire or by a stampede, Taliban officials said.

He appealed to people who do not have the legal right to travel home. "We don't want to hurt anyone at the airport", said the Taliban official, who declined to be named.