Radical Taliban observe third year of ruling Afghanistan 

Children of Taliban fighters hold Taliban flags as they celebrate the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kabul, Aug. 14, 2024. UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly during a military parade to mark the third anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Bagram Air Base in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan, Aug. 14, 2024. Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the Taliban-appointed deputy prime minister for economic affairs, inspects the honor guards during a military parade, in Bagram Air Base, Aug. 14, 2024. De facto Afghan Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani addressing the Bagram ceremony just outside Kabul Aug 14, 2024, to mark the 3rd anniversary of the Taliban takeover. Taliban Military Vehicles are seen during a military parade to mark the third anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S.-led troops from Afghanistan, in Bagram Air Base, Aug. 14, 2024.

The Islamist Taliban marked the third anniversary Wednesday of recapturing power in Afghanistan with a public holiday and a televised military parade at the former U.S.-run Bagram airbase, among other symbolic events. The so-called “victory day” celebrations occurred amid ongoing global criticism of the Taliban government, known as the Islamic Emirate, for allegedly creating “the world’s most serious women’s rights crisis” and making impoverished Afghanistan the only country where girls are banned from education beyond sixth grade.