More than 1,500 Taliban supporters attended a rally on Sunday in a vast field to the north of Kabul, in a show of strength as they consolidate their rule of Afghanistan.
The crowd, exclusively men and boys, heard speeches by leading Taliban officials and commanders at Kohdaman township in the hilly outskirts of the capital.
The rally was the first of its kind in the capital since the Islamist group seized control of the country seven weeks ago following a lightning offensive.
Flanked by white and black Taliban standards and fighters in combat gear carrying assault rifles, the speakers addressed an audience sat in rows of chairs under awnings.
As the event went on, more and more supporters arrived, leaving several hundred sitting to watch from chairs in the midday sun.
Mawlawi Muslim Haqqani, the deputy minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, hailed the Islamist hardliners’ takeover, saying Christians and Westerners had been defeated.
A string of men also railed against the United States, and one told the crowd to “respect elders” because they were the “mujahids who fought against the Soviets” in the 1980s.
A speaker introduced as Rahmatullah, from nearby Mir Bacha Kot, said the Taliban’s victory was “the result of those youths who stood in queues to register for suicide attacks”.
To kick off proceedings, a procession of fighters carrying flags and weapons — including rocket launchers — paraded around the crowd.
Some of the mainly unarmed supporters waved homemade posters, while others sported red or white Taliban headbands.
Tribal elders watched on cross-legged from the side of the stage.
