Three Reported Dead After Taliban Opens Fire

New reports indicate at least three are dead after the Taliban shot protesters carrying the Afghanistan flag in Jalalabad, Afghanistan pushing against Taliban rule in the country.

The Daily Wire reports:

“Three people were killed and more than a dozen injured after Taliban militants opened fire during protests against the group in the Afghan city of Jalalabad on Wednesday,” according to sources on the ground that spoke to Reuters. “A Taliban source said one person had been killed in the city, some 150 km (90 miles) to the east of Kabul.”

The Taliban has pulled down the Afghan flag in cities across Afghanistan as it moved to recapture territory lost in the two-decades-long war with coalition forces. In cities like Kabul, the Taliban has replaced the Afghan flag with its own flag, a white banner bearing the group’s motto.

“Video footage shot by Pajhwok Afghan News, a local news agency, showed protesters in the city who were carrying the Afghan flag fleeing with the sound of gunshots in the background,” the outlet reported.

The Taliban has claimed it is not responsible for the Jalalabad deaths, however conflicting reports indicate Taliban members have become increasingly violent towards Americans and Afghan citizens attempting to flee the country.

“There were some troublemakers who wanted to create issues for us,” one militant told media in Jalalabad, per Reuters. “These people are exploiting our relaxed policies.”

The Biden administration speculates there are approximately 15,000 Americans trapped in Afghanistan and another 40,000 Afghans that have been cleared to come to the United States or a third country.

AAN Staff