Taliban hold victory rally outside Kabul as they consolidate rule

The crowd, exclusively men and boys, heard speeches by leading Taliban officials and commanders at Kohdaman township in the hilly outskirts of the capital.The rally was the first of its kind in the capital since the group seized control of the country seven weeks ago following a lightning offensive.Flanked by white and black Taliban standards and fighters in combat gear carrying assault rifles, the speakers addressed an audience sat in rows of chairs under awnings. As the event went on, more and more supporters arrived, leaving several hundred sitting to watch from chairs in the midday sun.Mawlawi Muslim Haqqani, the deputy minister of Hajj and Religious Affairs, hailed the hardliners' takeover, saying Christians and Westerners had been defeated.A string of men also railed against the United States, and one told the crowd to "respect elders" because they were the "mujahids who fought against the Soviets" in the 1980s.A speaker introduced as Rahmatullah, from nearby Mir Bacha Kot, said the Taliban's victory was "the result of those youths who stood in queues to register for suicide attacks".To kick off proceedings, a procession of fighters carrying flags and weapons -- including rocket launchers -- paraded around the crowd.Some of the mainly unarmed supporters waved homemade posters, while others sported red or white Taliban headbands. Tribal elders watched on cross-legged from the side of the stage.As people arrived, music honouring the Taliban's victories echoed around the site as dozens of heavily armed fighters in military combat fatigues stood guard."America is defeated, impossible, impossible -- but possible!" one song said. Some chanted pro-Taliban slogans as they drove down the dusty road on pick-up trucks to the site.At the turn-off towards the township, about 10 armed fighters lined the road beneath a large banner honouring a deceased Taliban commander and professing the "support of the people of Kohdaman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan in the action of liberating the country".Last Thursday, the Taliban had violently cracked down on a small women's rights demonstration in eastern Kabul, firing shots into the air to disperse protesters.Then, gunmen pushed back the women protesters as they tried to continue with the demonstration, while a foreign journalist was hit with a rifle and blocked from filming.Isolated anti-Taliban rallies -- with women at the forefront -- were staged in cities around the country after the group seized power, including in the western city of Herat where two people were shot dead.But protests have dwindled since the government issued an order banning demonstrations that did not have prior authorisation, warning of "severe legal action" for violators.The handful that have gone ahead have been criticised as carefully orchestrated publicity stunts, including a rally at a Kabul university where hundreds of fully veiled women professed support for the new regime.