Taliban Mark Five Years in Power Amid Escalating Humanitarian Crisis

On Saturday, supporters and officials of the Taliban convened at the historic Loya Jirga assembly hall in Afghanistan to commemorate the fifth anniversary of their rise to power, an occasion the administration designated as “victory day” following the 2021 withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces. The celebrations unfolded amid armored vehicle parades outside the former U.S. embassy in Kabul and nationwide speeches lauding the end of foreign occupation, even as United Nations officials and international aid organizations issued stark warnings regarding escalating humanitarian and human rights crises.

Celebrations and Official Addresses in Kabul

High-ranking Taliban officials, foreign representatives, and thousands of attendees packed the Loya Jirga hall for Saturday’s anniversary events. Convoys of vehicles decorated with Taliban flags wound through Kabul, creating traffic congestion alongside a heavy security presence and numerous checkpoints.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban interior minister, delivered a video address acknowledging that their return stemmed from morale, courage, and divine assistance, while making a rare admission regarding lingering internal problems. Abdul Salam Hanafi, the deputy prime minister in charge of administrative affairs, asserted during the ceremony that the administration’s rule ended an era of external interventions and internal strife in Afghanistan “over the past half-century”. According to Hanafi, previous years saw at least 300 Afghan youth martyred or killed every day, an era he stated was removed from the Afghan nation by the rule of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban government’s deputy spokesman, prayed during the event that the homeland would remain protected from occupation, aggression, wars, and insecurity under the auspices of the Sharia-based government.

Outside the former U.S. embassy, armored vehicles displayed banners celebrating the departure of Western forces. Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi called on the international community to adopt a policy of engagement and mutual interaction, asserting that countries already maintaining contact had gained from doing so.

International Condemnation and the Humanitarian Toll

In contrast to the government’s stability narrative, international bodies documented severe deterioration across the country, particularly regarding the rights of women and girls. Richard Bennett, the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, warned in a video message that the nation is undergoing a deep human rights crisis. Bennett’s mandate concluded that the current system amounts to the crime against humanity of gender persecution, citing ongoing arbitrary arrests, torture, extrajudicial killings, and persecution of minorities.

According to UNESCO data, 2.5 million girls and young women remain barred from secondary schools and universities. UN Women released figures showing that half of Afghan women now leave their homes only once or twice a month due to sweeping restrictions on movement, public spaces, and employment. Reports also highlighted regional security challenges, including a string of recent assassinations targeting officials in Badakhshan province, including the information director and the mayor of the province’s capital, with one attack claimed by Islamic State.

Concurrently, the International Rescue Committee reported that humanitarian needs reached a record level on Friday. The crisis is driven by droughts, the fallout from deadly earthquakes, and the deportation of Afghans from neighboring Pakistan and Iran, all occurring against a backdrop of shrinking foreign aid budgets.

Diplomatic Isolation and Unresolved Regional Relations

Five years after the collapse of the Western-backed government, the Taliban administration remains internationally unrecognized, with Russia standing as the only country to have recognized it formally. While traditional embassies in Kabul remain largely empty, the administration has pursued quiet diplomatic inroads, leveraging its geographical position at the crossroads of South Asia, Central Asia, and the Middle East to strike economic deals and seeking arrangements with European nations that have been seeking ways to deport more Afghans.

Regional dynamics remain strained, notably with Pakistan. Islamabad continues to accuse Kabul of supporting Pakistani insurgents, complicating ties with a neighbor that was initially their most important partner. Regarding the government’s fifth anniversary, Taliban foreign ministry deputy spokesman Zia Ahmad Takal informed Reuters that commemorative events were slated to take place in the capital cities of Pakistan, China, Uzbekistan, Iran, Turkey, and Malaysia.