Thousands of Taliban supporters have poured into central Kabul, waving white flags and chanting religious slogans, as authorities marked five years since the group swept back into power and brought an end to the Western-backed republic.

Convoys of cars and pick-up trucks festooned with Taliban banners rolled through the streets on Saturday towards a main gathering outside a compound housing key ministries. Heavily armed fighters stood guard around the area as senior officials addressed the crowd, praising what they called the “victory of the Islamic Emirate” and promising to continue enforcing their vision of governance.

Taliban leaders used the anniversary to claim credit for restoring security and national sovereignty, pointing to the absence of large-scale fighting since foreign troops withdrew and the previous government collapsed in August 2021. Officials repeated longstanding demands for international recognition, arguing that engagement rather than sanctions and isolation is needed to stabilise the country.

Afghanistan’s economy remains fragile. Billions of dollars in state reserves remain frozen abroad, banking restrictions have squeezed businesses and aid agencies warn that millions of Afghans still rely on humanitarian assistance to survive. Many Kabul residents who stayed away from the rally said unemployment, rising prices and shrinking freedoms overshadow any sense of security they may feel.

At the gathering, however, attendees voiced a different narrative. Supporters credited the Taliban with ending what they see as foreign occupation, reducing crime and keeping major roads open. For them, the anniversary was a moment to celebrate what they view as a governing system finally free of external interference – even as the country remains divided over what that system has delivered and what it has taken away in the five years since the Taliban’s return.

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UNESCO estimated that 2.4 million girls have been excluded from secondary education. Another United Nations agency, the World Food Programme, said child malnutrition has reached critical levels in a third of Afghanistan’s provinces and is expected to worsen due to funding shortfalls.