The Taliban will shower Kabul with flowers from helicopters for their takeover anniversary

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban will shower Kabul with flowers from helicopters to mark the fourth anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan, an official said Thursday.

The Taliban seized control of the country on Aug. 15, 2021, weeks before the U.S. and NATO withdrew their forces after a costly, two-decade war.

Defense Ministry helicopters will perform “beautiful aerial displays” above the Afghan capital on Friday to “shower the city” with colorful flowers, according to a note from Habib Ghofran, the spokesperson for the Information and Culture Ministry. There will be sports performances from Afghan athletes from the afternoon until the early evening, said Ghofran.

The planned celebrations come as Afghanistan struggles with a massive influx of refugees from neighboring countries, a faltering economy and cuts in foreign funding, especially from the U.S. Almost 10 million people face acute food insecurity and one in three children is stunted.

Black and white Taliban flags were displayed across Kabul on Thursday.

Ahsan Ullah Khan, from northern Sar-e-Pul province, encouraged the Afghan diaspora to return so they could see how peaceful the country was and how happy people were.

But Kabul resident, Zafar Momand, said Afghans needed more than peace.

“Along with peace we need employment and education opportunities. If these problems are solved then Afghanistan is the best country to live in,” Momand said. “Women are also an important part of society. They should also have education and work opportunities.”

Females are barred from education beyond sixth grade, many jobs and most public spaces. It was not immediately clear if women would be present at or permitted to attend the anniversary festivities.

The director-general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, said Thursday that Afghanistan stood out as the only country in the world where secondary and higher education was strictly forbidden for girls and women.

“Nearly 2.2 million of them are now barred from attending school beyond primary level due to this regressive decision,” said Azoulay. “This exclusion of women from public life has disastrous consequences for the country’s long-term development, where half the population already lives below the poverty line.”

Last year’s takeover anniversary celebrations were held at Bagram Airfield, once the center of America’s war to unseat the Taliban and hunt down the al-Qaida perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks.

Women were barred from that event, including female journalists from The Associated Press and Agence France-Presse.