Taliban marks "Victory Day" a year after taking over Afghanistan
Taliban militants hold their weapons aloft as they march through the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2022, marking their "Victory Day" exactly one year after U.S. forces left the country in a chaotic withdrawal.
In the year since retaking control of the country, the Islamic extremist group has stripped back two decades of progress on women's rights and advances in civil society, and left Afghanistan a virtual pariah on the world stage.
"Victory Day" for the Taliban
CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab, center, stands amid a large group of armed Taliban militants as they mark their "Victory Day" with a march in Kabul, on August 15, 2022 — the first anniversary of the final day of the U.S. military's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Taliban member
A Taliban militant looks at a CBS News camera as the group celebrates its "Victory Day," on August 15, 2022.
Afghanistan has become a less violent place in the year since the Taliban's takeover and the end of America's longest war. But the Taliban continues to strip away basic rights, and the economy is in freefall.
Weapons held high
Taliban militants hold their weapons aloft as they march through the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2022, which they declared "Victory Day."
It marked exactly one year since U.S. forces left the country in a chaotic withdrawal, ending the longest war in America's history.
Marching in Kabul
Taliban militants hold their weapons as they march through the streets of Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2022.
One year since the Taliban takeover, the U.N. says the nation remains in the grips of a major humanitarian crisis. The Biden administration has frozen billions of dollars in Afghan government assets held outside the country, and foreign donors have pulled vast amounts of funding that once made up three-quarters of the nation's annual budget.
Near the former U.S. Embassy
Taliban fighters hold weapons as they ride in a convoy to celebrate their "Victory Day" on August 15, 2022.
Hundreds of the militants and their supporters filled a central Kabul square, just yards from where the U.S. Embassy once stood, waving flags and chanting "God is great."
"Victory Day" display
Taliban militants hold weapons as they march through Kabul, Afghanistan, August 15, 2022, exactly a year after the last U.S. forces left the country in a chaotic withdrawal.
Long guns
Taliban militants hold their weapons as they march through Kabul, Afghanistan, on August 15, 2022, one year after the last U.S. military forces withdrew.
Taliban flag
Armed Taliban militants carry the group's flag through the streets of Kabul during a march to mark what the country's rulers dubbed "Victory Day," on August 15, 2022 — the first anniversary of the day when the last U.S. military forces left Afghanistan.
Atop an armored vehicle
Men ride on top of an armored vehicle during a Taliban celebration of the first anniversary of their return to power in Afghanistan.
A year after the Taliban retook Kabul, cementing their rule of Afghanistan after a two-decade insurgency, the country is beset by economic and humanitarian crises.
Taliban member
A Taliban member wearing military gear and a face mask on a convoy to celebrate the first anniversary of the Taliban retaking power in Afghanistan, on August 15, 2022.