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The Taliban government celebrated five years in power in Afghanistan on Saturday, with supporters taking to the streets as critics condemned tightening restrictions across all areas of daily life.
Afghans packed into cars decorated with flags and drove around Kabul on a day that government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said "will be written in golden lines in the history of Afghanistan."
Taliban fighters seized Kabul unopposed on August 15, 2021, following a lightning offensive that swept across Afghanistan and toppled government forces amid the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops.
Zia Ahmad Takal, a foreign ministry spokesman, invited countries to "come here, invest, and make extensive use of the available economic opportunities" in Afghanistan.
GDP per capita has fallen because more than six million Afghans have arrived from neighbouring Iran and Pakistan over the past three years, though the World Bank estimated real growth at 4.8%.
Although the Taliban have forged ties with multiple countries, including in Europe, only Russia recognizes their government, while relations with Pakistan deteriorated into war this year, worsening a humanitarian crisis already deepened by international aid cuts.
Fiona Frazer, the human rights director for the UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that people have endured the "consolidation of suffocating restrictions that intrude on almost every aspect of their daily lives and their human rights."
Women have been particularly affected by Taliban government measures, being banned from public places, including parks, and from most jobs, while education for girls beyond age 12 is restricted.
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