Forced Celebration; The Taliban Flag in the Hands of Fear and Poverty
- Ariahn Raya
- Aug 17
- 3 min read
While the Taliban celebrate August 15, the anniversary of their return to power, as "Independence Day" through colorful ceremonies and flag parades, working children, school students, and employees of Taliban offices share shocking accounts from the western cities of the country.
Working children, government employees, school students, and even street vendors have been drawn into the Taliban’s propaganda lines either by force or in exchange for meager wages.
In the Taliban’s dark and grim celebration, working children have been turned into foot soldiers of their propaganda. This group has forced them, either coercively or by paying a few Afghanis, to carry flags that symbolize misogyny and darkness.
Habib, a 9-year-old child who sells gum in the Ghor market, told Zan News: "A Talib told me to carry this flag until evening, and he would give me 100 Afghanis. He said if I don’t carry it, I will cause trouble."
He is not alone. Hundreds of other children in the western provinces of the country were recruited one day before the Taliban’s ceremony to participate in the parade. Many of them were forced to carry flags in exchange for 50 to 100 Afghanis.
Latif, another 12-year-old child who shines shoes in Farah, said: "I said I have work, they said it’s an important day, and if I don’t come, someone else will take my work spot tomorrow. He told me I have to serve my system. He slapped me and said if the flag is not in your hand until evening, I will shoot you with a gun. In the evening, the Talib gave me 50 Afghanis."
Photos and videos received by Zan News also show orderly lines of younger flag bearers standing under the scorching sun, without food and without rest, only to beautify the Taliban's propaganda showcase.
A large number of those carrying Taliban flags are school students and government employees who have been forced into silence under Taliban threats.
Waheed, an eighth-grade student, says that although he hates the Taliban, members of this group came to their classroom on August 14 and warned them that they must participate in their self-declared celebration.
He says: "The Taliban told us that all of you must hold a flag on Assad 24 and walk around the market. Anyone who does not participate should have no complaints."
The pressure is not only on working children and students; government employees have also revealed threats and coercion to participate.
Sohrab, an employee of the Statistics and Civil Registration Department in Nimroz province, said: "We were told we must come, wear formal clothes with a turban, hold a flag in our hands, and chant slogans. If you do not come, your name will be recorded."
He adds: "This ceremony is not public, it is fabricated. We come out of fear for our salary and safety. If we were allowed, maybe no one would have come."
Another employee from the Herat Directorate of Education, who did not want their name revealed, told Zan News: "Schools are closed, but we were forced to stay at the ceremony with the flags from morning until noon. They did not even allow us to protest."
The Taliban are trying to celebrate August 15 as a symbol of "victory" and "independence", but the reality on the ground is something else: exploitation of poverty, threats against government employees, and the instrumental use of children to fill media frames.
The Taliban celebrated August 15, but what was hidden under those flags was nothing but poverty, coercion, and the stripping of human dignity.
