KABUL, Feb 9, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - In the six months since taking back control
of Afghanistan, the Taliban have erased all visible signs of the former
government from the capital.
Gone are flags of the former republic, murals of national heroes, and
memorials honouring those killed in Taliban attacks.
Blast walls are now covered with slogans of the new Islamic Emirate. "With
the help of God, our nation defeated the Americans," reads one.
The owners of many beauty salons in central Kabul have removed posters of
women in full make-up and fashionable hair styles once displayed on their
doors.
Iconography of the slain anti-Taliban commander Ahmad Shah Massoud in his
trademark Pakol cap that adorned almost every neighbourhood of the city has
been covered up.
Fewer women and girls are seen moving between markets and cafes, many too
afraid to leave the house after the takeover, or with no money to spend after
losing their jobs.
Vehicles all but vanish after dark, as extra Taliban checkpoints spring up.
And on a hilltop overlooking Kabul, the black, green and red flag of the
former regime has been taken down.
The flagpole now stands bare in the middle of a snowy garden.