Thousands of Afghans took to the streets in Central Landon, protesting against the Taliban which seized power in Afghanistan militarily, toppling the US-backed Afghan government in Kabul. This is part of larger protests being organized by the Afghan diaspora community that also expressed disappointment over the inaction by Western countries. 

Carrying the flag of the Afghan Republic, protesters comprising people across all age groups chanted slogans, demanding “Free Afghanistan” and asking the international community to help Afghans and the country in restoring peace and stability. This is the second week in the UK when Afghans took to the streets to condemn the Taliban.

The Taliban on 15 August toppled the US-backed Afghan government, and seized power forcefully, prompting tens of thousands of people--who feared retribution from the group-- to flee the country. In the last week two weeks, the US and NATO countries have evacuated over 100,000 Afghans at risk. 

In the last two weeks, similar protests have been observed in the US, Germany, Australia, Italy, and other countries. For many, the collapse of the Afghan government and the indifferent attitude by Western countries, especially the US, is an epic historic betrayal. 

The gains of the last two decades are now at risk now as the Taliban has already started imposing social rules, curtailing the hard-earned freedom and progress of women in the fields like media, art, education, and civil societies. 

The speed at which the Taliban swept the whole of the country, and subsequently toppled the government, caught the world and people off guard, with many finding it hard to come to terms with the changed reality. 

Journalists, human rights activists, women singers, former translators who worked with US troops, and former government employees are among those who fled the country. 
  
Furthermore, there are continuous protests happening in several cities in Afghanistan, several journalists who fled the country tweeted, citing their own sources. However, it appears that the coverage of these protests in Afghan mainstream media is being censored by the Taliban. 

Panjshir province, just 100 km north of Kabul, is the last remaining place in Afghanistan still free from the Taliban’s control. Amrullah Saleh, the country’s former vice-president, and Ahmed Massoud, the son of late legendary anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, are leading the resistance against the Taliban in Panjshir. 

(SAM)