Many were killed in the flag-raising battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan

Many were killed in the flag-raising battle against the Taliban in Afghanistan

As popular opposition to the Taliban spread, flag-waving protesters took to the streets in several Afghan cities on Thursday, and several people were killed when militants opened fire on a crowd, a witness said.

A crowd of men and some women waving black, red and green national flags in the capital, "Our flag, our identity," showed a video clip posted on social media on the day Afghanistan celebrated independence from British rule in 1919.

A woman walked with a flag wrapped around her shoulders. Some of the marchers also chanted "God is great".

Since the Taliban marched on Kabul on Sunday, it has given the world a moderate face, saying they want peace, will not retaliate against old enemies, and must respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.

In Asadabad, the capital of the eastern province of Kunar, several people were killed during the rally, but it is not clear whether the Taliban opened fire or caused the stampede, said witness Mohammad Saleem.

“Hundreds of people came out on the streets,” Saleem said. “At first I was scared and didn’t want to go, but when I saw a neighbor next to me, I took out the flag I had at home.

"Many were killed and wounded in Taliban clashes and shootings."

Protesters took to the streets in the city of Jalalabad and a district in Baghdia province.

On Wednesday, witnesses and the media reported that three people had been killed when Taliban militants opened fire on flag-waving protesters in Jalalabad. The media reported similar scenes in Asadabad and another eastern city on the coast on Wednesday.

Amrullah Saleh the first vice president to try to mobilize opposition to the Taliban, expressed support for the protests.

"Carry the national flag and salute those who stand for the honor of the country," he said on Twitter.

Saleh said on Tuesday that he was in Afghanistan after President Ashraf Ghani fled after the Taliban captured Kabul on Sunday and called him a "legitimate interim president".

Call for end to airport crowds

In an edition of the Washington Post, Amat Masood, the leader of Afghanistan's National Opposition Front, called on the West to support the fight against the Taliban, centered in the Panjshir Valley, an old anti - Taliban stronghold northeast of Kabul.

Although Kabul has been generally quiet since Taliban forces entered on Sunday, the airport was in turmoil as people rushed to leave the country.

A NATO and Taliban official said 12 people had been killed in and around the airport. A Taliban official said there were no casualties from the shooting or the stampede.

He urged people who have no legal right to travel to go home. "We do not want to hurt anyone at the airport," said a Taliban official who declined to be identified.

On Wednesday, witnesses said Taliban militants prevented people from entering the airport premises. A Taliban official said soldiers fired into the air to disperse the crowd.

Gunmen set fire to several entrances to the airport on Thursday, dispersing the crowd, including women holding children. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

The United States and other Western powers have been pushing for the evacuation of their nationals and Afghan personnel from the capital's airport, from where about 8,000 people have been evacuated since Sunday, a Western security official said.

The Taliban also agreed not to attack foreign forces when they left. U.S. President Joe Biden has said U.S. forces will remain in place until the expulsion of Americans is completed, even if the August 31 deadline for U.S. withdrawal passes.

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