Victory Day (Taliban)

Not to be confused with Mujahideen Victory Day or Departure Day.

Victory Day
Taliban fighters celebrating Victory Day in 2022
Observed by Afghanistan
SignificanceCelebrates the 2021 capture of Kabul by the Taliban
CelebrationsMilitary parades
Date15 August
Next time15 August 2026 (2026-08-15)
FrequencyAnnual
First time15 August 2022
Started byTaliban
Related toDeparture Day

Victory Day[1] (Pashto: د بريا ورځ), which the Afghan Taliban call "The Proud Day of August 15",[2] is a national holiday in Afghanistan that celebrates the 2021 capture of Kabul by the Taliban during the 2021 Taliban offensive. In 2022, the Taliban declared 15 August to be a national holiday. The holiday occurs half a month before the similar Departure Day on 31 August that celebrates the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.[3]

Background

In May 2021, the Taliban launched a major military offensive against the Afghan government as the United States was withdrawing troops from Afghanistan.[4] The Taliban made rapid advances and captured several provincial capital cities, capturing most by mid August.[5][6] On 15 August, the Taliban captured Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city,[7] and Afghan president Ashraf Ghani fled the country.[8] The United States completely withdrew from Afghanistan on 30 August and the Taliban took control of Afghanistan.[9]

History

On 14 August 2022, the Taliban declared 15 August to be a national holiday to celebrate the capture of Kabul and the Taliban's return to power. The Taliban remarked that "August 15 is a national holiday in the country to mark the first anniversary of the victory of the Afghan jihad against the American and its allies' occupation".[10] The first celebration of Victory Day saw military parades and groups of Taliban fighters chanting "Death to America" and "Long live Islam" at the closed American embassy.[1][2]

On 9 January 2023, the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs suspended the celebration of the similar Departure Day held on 31 August.[11] The Taliban government reversed this decision on 17 June and restored Departure Day.[12] On 15 August 2023, the Taliban held military parades in Kabul and Herat. Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada himself canceled a planned military parade in Kandahar so as "not to disturb the public".[3][13]

External video
The Taliban celebrate 3 years in power with a military parade at a former US air base in Afghanistan

On 14 August 2024, the Taliban held a Victory Day military parade at Bagram Air Base, one day before Victory Day itself. The parade included several Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters left behind when the United States withdrew in 2021.[14] The Taliban held additional military parades in Kabul and Herat on Victory Day itself.[15] On the fourth Victory Day in 2025, the Taliban held more military parades across Afghanistan.[16] Six Afghan cities held "flower shower" ceremonies where flowers were dropped from helicopters; women were banned from attending three of the six ceremonies. The United Afghan Women's Movement for Freedom held an indoor protest in Takhar with some holding signs reading "August 15th is a dark day" and "Forgiving the Taliban is an act of enmity against humanity".[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Taliban Marks "Victory Day" a Year After Taking over Afghanistan". CBS News. 15 August 2022. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  2. ^ a b Faiez, Rahim; Noroozi, Ebrahim (15 August 2022). "Afghanistan Marks Anniversary of Taliban Takeover". PBS. Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Foschini, Fabrizio (30 August 2023). "Extensive But Not Inclusive: Afghanistan's Growing List of National Holidays". Afghanistan Analysts. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  4. ^ "Taliban Launches Major Afghan Offensive After Deadline for U.S. Pullout". Reuters. Lashkargah, Afghanistan. 4 May 2021. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  5. ^ De Luce, Dan; Yusufzai, Mushtaq; Smith, Saphora (25 June 2021). "Even the Taliban Are Surprised at How Fast They're Advancing in Afghanistan". NBC News. Washington, D.C., United States. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  6. ^ George, Susannah; Pannett, Rachel; Lamothe, Dan; Mehrdad, Ezzatullah (13 August 2021). "Taliban Fighters Capture Kandahar, Herat and Lashkar Gah in Sweeping Territorial Gains". The Washington Post. Kabul, Afghanistan. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  7. ^ Graham-Harrison, Emma; Harding, Luke (15 August 2021). "The Fall of Kabul: A 20-year Mission Collapses in a Single Day". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  8. ^ "Afghan President Says He Left Country to Avoid Bloodshed". Reuters. New Delhi, India. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  9. ^ Gaouette, Nicole; Hansler, Jennifer; Starr, Barbara; Liebermann, Oren (31 August 2025). "The Last US Military Planes Have Left Afghanistan, Marking the End of the United States' Longest War". CNN. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  10. ^ Gul, Ayaz (14 August 2022). "Taliban Announce Public Holiday in Afghanistan to Mark Retaking of Power". Voice of America. Islamabad, Pakistan. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  11. ^ "The Taliban Group No Longer Celebrates the Day of the Withdrawal of American Troops". Rudabe. 9 January 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  12. ^ "Taliban Declares National Holiday on August 31 to Mark Withdrawal of US Army". NDTV World. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  13. ^ "Taliban Marks Two Years Since Return to Power in Afghanistan". Al Jazeera English. 15 August 2023. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  14. ^ Gul, Ayaz (14 August 2024). "Radical Taliban Observe Third Year of Ruling Afghanistan". Voice of America. Islamabad, Pakistan. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  15. ^ Goldbaum, Christina; Akbary, Yaqoob (15 August 2024). "On Anniversary of Taliban Takeover, Glee, Mourning and an Embrace of Jihad". The New York Times. Kabul, Afghanistan.
  16. ^ "Taliban Marks Fourth Anniversary of Return to Power with Internal Threats". Al Jazeera English. 15 August 2025. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
  17. ^ "Women Banned from Celebrations as Taliban Marks Fourth Anniversary of Afghanistan Takeover". The Guardian. 15 August 2015. Retrieved 19 August 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.