The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Taliban opens fire in attempt to stop crowds gathering
The Taliban have fired into the air to disperse protesters and arrested several journalists in the Afghan capital.
This is the second time in less than a week the group used heavy-handed tactics to break up a demonstration in Kabul.
The demonstrators had gathered outside the Pakistan embassy to accuse Islamabad of aiding the Taliban’s assault on the northern Panjshir province.
The Taliban said they seized the province – the last one not under their control – after their blitz through Afghanistan last month.
Afghanistan’s previous government routinely accused Pakistan of aiding the Taliban, a charge Islamabad has denied.
Former vice-president Amrullah Saleh, one of the leaders of the anti-Taliban forces, has long been an outspoken critic of neighbouring Pakistan.
Dozens of women were among the protesters yesterday. Some of them carried signs bemoaning the killing of their sons by Taliban fighters they say were aided by Pakistan.
One sign read: “I am a mother – when you kill my son you kill a part of me.”
On Saturday, Taliban special forces troops in camouflage gear fired their weapons into the air to end a protest march in the capital by Afghan women demanding equal rights from the new rulers.
The Taliban again moved quickly and harshly to end Tuesday’s protest when it arrived near the presidential palace. They fired their weapons into the air and arrested several journalists covering the demonstration.
In one case, Taliban waving Kalashnikov rifles took a microphone from a journalist and began beating him with it, breaking the microphone. The journalist was later handcuffed and detained for several hours.
“This is the third time I have been beaten by the Taliban covering protests,” he said. “I won’t go again to cover a demonstration. It’s too difficult for me.”
A journalist from Afghanistan’s popular TOLO News was detained for three hours by the Taliban before being freed along with his equipment and the video of the demonstration still intact.
Iama mother – when you kill my son you kill a part of me