Afghanistan's rulers are marking the anniversary of their return to power amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Afghanistan's Taliban celebrated three years in power with a military parade, paying tribute to their homemade bombs, fighter jets and goose-stepping security forces.
Taliban forces towed Soviet-era tanks and artillery pieces through Bagram, the former U.S. air base, where Chinese and Iranian diplomats were among hundreds of people who gathered for the parade and speeches on Wednesday.
The air base served as a hub for US-led operations against the Taliban for two decades.
Taliban forces seized Kabul on August 15, 2021, after the US-backed government collapsed and its leaders fled into exile. The anniversary is marked a day earlier on the Afghan calendar.
The Taliban government remains unrecognised by any other state, and restrictions imposed on women, who bear the brunt of policies the United Nations has dubbed “gender apartheid”, remain a key point of conflict.
“It's been three years since the girls' dreams were buried,” Madina, a 20-year-old former university student in Kabul, told AFP news agency.
“It is a bitter feeling that every year, the celebration of this day reminds us of the efforts, memories and goals we had for our future.”
Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund, who was due to appear in Bagram, hailed the Taliban authorities' victory over “Western occupiers” in a statement read out by his chief of staff.
The Taliban government has “the responsibility to maintain the Islamic regime, protect property, people's lives and respect for our nation,” he said.
Security has been a priority for Taliban authorities as they have consolidated power over the past three years, implementing laws based on their strict interpretation of Islam.
Rugby player Samiullah Akmal praised the day's events, saying they were “better than other years”.
“As a young man, I see that Afghanistan’s future is bright… We are independent and the people around us are ours.”
'An uncertain future'
Although many Afghans expressed relief at the end of 40 years of successive conflict, the economy remains stagnant and the population is mired in a worsening humanitarian crisis.
“The last three years have been some of the worst of our lives,” said Zalmai, 26, who works for a nonprofit and gave only his last name.
“I don’t know what security the Taliban are talking about. People are hungry, young people are out of work… both girls and boys face an uncertain future,” she said.
In a report, Al Jazeera's Osama Bin Javaid said there have been attempts to revive the economy, but no country accepts Afghanistan's rulers as a legitimate government and there are significant international financial restrictions.
“The Taliban claim they inherited a bankrupt country and a corrupt economic system that relies on foreign aid,” Bin Javaid said. “The foreign exchange reserves of Afghanistan’s national bank have also been confiscated by the United States.”
A joint statement by international non-governmental groups warned of a growing funding gap for aid, with 23.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
Women have been excluded from public life (banned from many jobs, parks and gyms) and excluded from secondary and higher education.
Alison Davidian, head of UN Women's office in Afghanistan, told Al Jazeera that “three years ago, a woman in Afghanistan could technically decide to run for president. Now, she may not even be able to decide when to go grocery shopping.”
“I'm not saying that three years ago everything was perfect. It wasn't perfect, but it wasn't like that.”
