EsteveGirbes01/Twitter
August 17, 2021, 6:40 am*
While many Afghans attempt to flee their country out of fear of Taliban rule, the soldiers have been seen celebrating their win at a theme park in Herat.
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The footage is unnerving — Taliban soldiers riding around in colorful bumper cars, some with guns at the ready, as people nearby watch and laugh.
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Other clips taken recently as the Taliban has taken over Afghanistan piece by piece include video of them on a merry-go-round clearly intended for children and bouncing together gleefully on a giant trampoline.
These videos are a stark contrast to those that have so far characterized the Taliban takeover for the rest of the world — videos of desperate Afghans storming planes and clinging to the sides, eventually falling off as the aircraft takes flight, interviews with Taliban fighters that make it clear that things are about to get terrible for women and girls in the country, video after video of the Taliban rolling in and celebrating their victories even as others continue trying to flee.
The contrast between the fear of Afghans trying to escape their country and the gleefulness of Taliban fighters roaming around theme parks is so jarring that people haven’t been certain whether to respond with stunned silence or with jokes, although both seem to be coming from a place of vague horror.
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The Taliban has faced little resistance in its rapid takeover of Afghanistan as U.S. troops enter the final weeks of withdrawing from the country. The president of Afghanistan is among those who fled out of fear of reprisal, and though the group has announced a general “amnesty” for all in the country, citizens are still highly skeptical of their forthcoming rule based on both past and present experience.
*First Published: August 17, 2021, 6:39 am
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