Afghan Taliban mark five years in power

The Taliban marked five years in power on Saturday, seeking to portray their government as in control even as aid and rights groups warned of escalating crises.

Outside the former US embassy in Kabul, armoured Taliban vehicles took part in a parade, displaying flags and banners, and celebrating what the government described as "victory day" from Western domination.

Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban's interior minister, said in a video address that their return to power was the result of "morale, courage" and "divine assistance".

But he also made a rare acknowledgement of "issues and problems that may still exist."

International organisations and the UN say the Taliban have struggled to address the natural and humanitarian crises Afghanistan has faced over the past five years, in part because Afghan women are under severe restrictions.

The Taliban have also faced a string of assassinations of key regional officials in the country's northeast in recent weeks.

Five years on, their government remains internationally unrecognised, with Russia the only country to have formally recognised it.

Many former embassies in Kabul have remained empty since the Taliban's return to power, including the US embassy that was the backdrop of Taliban celebrations on Saturday.

But the Taliban have made quiet diplomatic inroads, analysts say, as some countries weigh the limits of their influence in Afghanistan and the need to engage with the government.

The Taliban are increasingly pushing for arrangements with European nations that have been seeking ways to deport more Afghans. Reuters