Taliban fire into crowd, beat protesters: reports
Taliban fighters reportedly fired into a crowd and beat protesters in cities throughout Afghanistan on Wednesday, just days after the insurgent group took control of the country. Al Jazeera reported that at least two people were killed and 12 others injured after shots were fired during a protest in Jalalabad. Dozens of Afghans gathered in the city to raise the national flag before the country’s Independence Day, according to The Associated Press.
As Afghans tried to lower the Taliban flag, which was raised after the insurgent group took over the region, fighters started firing shots in the air and attacking the Afghans with batons in an effort to disperse the crowd, the AP reported, citing video footage. A television cameraman who tried to document the violence was also reportedly beaten by the insurgent group's fighters. Fighters with the insurgent group have been patrolling the streets in Kabul, at times coming into contact with hundreds of Afghan protesters, The New York Times noted.
Despite the risks involved with demonstrating, protesters have been whistling, shouting and waving large Afghan flags in the streets, prompting Taliban forces to try to dissolve the crowd by firing shots into the air, according to the Times, which cited video aired by local news media outlets. When those tactics reportedly did not work, however, the fighters reportedly resorted to force.
That violence was also seen at checkpoints in Kabul and near the local airport as the U.S. and other countries were operating evacuation flights from the region, according to The Washington Post. The Post reported that some Afghans who sought to leave the country on evacuation flights were unable to do so because they came into contact with the Taliban at checkpoints.
https://thehill.com/policy/international/568332-taliban-fire-into-crowd-beat-protesters
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