The crowd listened to speeches by prominent members of the Taliban movement in a large field north of the city. They were surrounded by heavily armed fighters. There was also a military parade where Taliban members marched in front of the crowd carrying flags and weapons, including rocket launchers.

The crowd was driving to the square. Spectators carried home-made posters and chanted pro-Taliban slogans. There was music when the first people arrived. America has been defeated. Impossible impossible. But it is still possible,” was the text of one of the songs.

Muslim fundamentalists

The number of opponents of the Taliban on the streets is now decreasing. Muslim fundamentalists cracked down on the protesters after they took power. They have now also indicated that protests may only happen if the authorities allow beforehand.

A handful of women took to the streets last week to demand that girls be allowed to return to high school. They held a banner in Kabul that read: “Don’t break our pens. Don’t set our books on fire. Don’t close our schools.” Taliban fighters took that banner and shot into the air. A foreign journalist was shot with a pistol.