On 20th anniv of attacks, Taliban flag flies at Prez Palace, American Embassy in Kabul
The Taliban cancelled the inauguration ceremony of their new Afghanistan Government that was earlier scheduled for Saturday, the 20th anniversary of 9/11, after the group was pressurised by its allies against the plan.
The 9/11 terror attacks had killed nearly 3,000 people in the US.
A member of Afghanistan Government’s cultural commission, Inamullah Samangani on Twitter said, “The inauguration ceremony of the new Afghan Government was cancelled a few days ago. In order not to confuse people further, the leadership of the Islamic Emirate announced the part of the Cabinet, and it has already started to work.”
The Taliban had invited Russia, Iran, China, Qatar and Pakistan to the inaugural ceremony. However, Moscow reportedly informed Qatar, the go-between for Western nations and the new Kabul government, that it would not participate in the inauguration event if it’s held on the anniversary of 9/11.
The Taliban flag waved over the Afghan Presidential Palace the same day the US and the world marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.
The milestone anniversary on Saturday takes place just weeks after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan and the return to power of the Taliban, the faction that sheltered the Muslim militant group founded by Osama bin Laden that carried out the attacks.
The Taliban flag was raised on Friday and could be seen waving over the Presidential Palace in Kabul on Saturday. The militant group also painted their white backdrop flag on the wall of the US Embassy building.
Americans solemnly marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 on Saturday, remembering the dead, invoking the heroes and taking stock of the aftermath just weeks after the bloody end of the Afghanistan war that was launched in response to the terror attacks.
The US is now concerned that al-Qaida, the terror network behind 9/11, may regroup in Afghanistan.