Ultimate provocation? The Taliban staged a large parade on Wednesday in southern Afghanistan in Kandahar, the country’s second largest city. The vehicles used for this great demonstration were none other than military devices donated by the United States to the previous Afghan government. American all-terrain Humvees, with white and black Taliban flags attached to their antennae thus circulated in slow motion on a main road outside the city.
Fighters sat at the controls of trucks used by US, NATO and Afghan forces during the 20-year conflict, while others boarded these vehicles in Ayno Maina, on the outskirts of Kandahar. At least one Blackhawk helicopter has been seen in flight over the city, suggesting that a former Afghan army pilot is in command.
Stronghold of the Taliban leader
Kandahar is the spiritual cradle of the Islamist movement. In 1996, the Taliban left the capital of southern Afghanistan before quickly conquering the rest of the country, which they held until 2001, when they were ousted from power by an international coalition led by the United States. . Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada lives there, the movement said Sunday.
In Kandahar cricket stadium, white-bearded Taliban officials were seen sipping coffee, in the shade of shelters normally reserved for players and coaches. Others, dressed in white, sat cross-legged on the lawn. Hundreds of supporters waited on the stands. Armed combatants, in camouflage uniforms, stood in front of the crowd.
“America has trampled our economy”
“Our common enemy who had sworn to bring economic prosperity to our country has not succeeded,” said Maulvi Saqeb, a recruiter for the Taliban movement. “America didn’t just attack our young soldiers, America corrupted our media, it wiped out our culture, it trampled our economy,” he adds.
Rumor had it that Hibatullah Akhundzada appeared in public, but he did not show up. Only the new governor of the area addressed the crowd. Already Tuesday, thousands of supporters had flocked to the streets of Kandahar, in a concert of horns and “Allah Akbar” (God is the greatest), welcoming the departure of the last American soldiers from Afghanistan.