KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Taliban rulers and other officials gathered at Afghanistan’s traditional Loya Jirga assembly hall on Saturday to celebrate the fifth anniversary of their return to power, touting what they said had brought stability and an end to conflict after decades of upheaval.

A top United Nations official, however, warned of a grave human rights crisis in the country where girls above the age of 12 were denied an education.

The Taliban seized power on August 15, 2021, as the US and other NATO troops withdrew following a costly two-decade war. The US withdrawal led to chaos at Kabul airport as crowds of people tried to flee the country in desperation.

Soon after they took power, the Taliban administration imposed a ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade and later also banned higher education for women, despite having pledged before the takeover that women would be allowed access to education, employment and public participation.

Women had also been banned from public spaces such as gyms and parks, from taking part in sports and traveling to distant locations without a male guardian.

At the Loya Jirga, high-ranking officials were joined by some foreign representatives and thousands of ordinary citizens for speeches that marked what they said was Afghanistan’s liberation from American forces.

The Taliban government remained isolated internationally, with Russia being the only country that had recognized it formally.

“We pray to Almighty God to forever protect our homeland from occupation, aggression, wars, and insecurity, and to enable our people........

© The Times of Israel