Afghans protest against Taliban: Islamists shoot demonstrators - there are dead

After the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, many people tried to flee.

But some do not give up without a fight and protest against the new rulers.

Kabul - The Taliban have officially been in power in Afghanistan since Sunday.

Many Afghans flee abroad fearing for their lives.

But some residents apparently do not want to give up without a fight and are protesting against the Islamists.

According to media reports, people died and several are said to be injured.

(The latest news about developments in Afghanistan can be found in our brand new daily Afghanistan newsletter.)

Since Wednesday (August 18), people have taken to the streets in several Afghan cities to demonstrate against the radical Islamic militia.

The background is also the Afghan Independence Day on August 19, 1919, when the country gained independence from Great Britain.

Escalation in several cities - Taliban shoot at crowds

As reported by Deutschlandfunk, among others, several people were said to have been killed and injured at a rally in the city of Asadabad in the north-east of the country on Wednesday. Participants in the rally waved the old flag of the Afghan Republic, whereupon Taliban fighters opened fire on the crowds. According to several media reports, it is unclear whether the people were killed in the protests by the shooting by the Taliban or the mass panic that followed.

Similar protests also took place in the cities of Jalalabad and Khost, which are in the east of the country.

As the dpa reports, a curfew was also imposed in Khost.

According to information from the broadcaster euronews, at least three people are said to have died in the protests in Jalalabad.

"Some people were holding Afghan flags and shouting," Long live Afghanistan, "a journalist told the news channel.

When he was filming the demonstration, the Taliban beat him.

There is still no reliable information about the victims of the protests.

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Afghans protest against the Taliban in several cities with Afghan flags.

Several people are said to have been attacked.

© Uncredited / dpa

Protests in Kabul: Civilians tear the Taliban flag from the palace

There were also isolated protests in the Afghan capital, Kabul. After taking power on Sunday, the Taliban hoisted their white flag over the presidential palace. On it is the Shahada, the Islamic creed, in black letters. Videos on social media show protesters removing the Taliban flag and replacing it with the Afghan flag. Since the Taliban came to power, this has increasingly become a symbol of protest against the militia.

Only on Tuesday (August 17) did the Taliban announce in a press conference that they would take over the country peacefully.

Eyewitness videos on Twitter now show how violent the Taliban are during the protests.

At the same time, however, the pictures are also an indication that the Afghan civilian population is not accepting the new rulers without resistance.

List of rubric lists: © Uncredited / dpa