Taliban fighters were seen opening fire on crowds waving the Afghan flag during celebrations of the country’s Independence Day on Thursday.
In Jalalabad, Taliban fighters opened fire at dozens of people marking Afghanistan’s Independence Day, which commemorates the end of British rule on August 19, 1919.
According to reports, a number of demonstrators were shot dead in the eastern city of Asadabad.
Reuters quoted an eyewitness as saying that, "hundreds of people" came out to demonstrate before the Taliban opened fire, triggering a stampede.
Fox News said it had obtained footage of a protest in the city with Afghan flags being paraded before gunfire is heard in the background.
In the capital city of Kabul, protesters were also filmed waving the national flag, while Reuters even reported Afghans tearing down the Taliban flag and replaced it with the tri-color Afghan one.
"Salute those who carry the national flag and thus stand for the dignity of the nation and the country," First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who now says he is the only leader capable of fighting the terrorists wrote on Twitter.
On Sunday night, the spokesman for the Taliban's political office declared victory in the war over the state's armed forces just weeks after the U.S. began its troop pullout.
Speaking to Al-Jazeera Mubasher TV and quoted by Reuters, the spokesman, Mohammad Naeem, said that the type of rule and the form of regime in Afghanistan will be clear soon.
He stated that no diplomatic body or any of its headquarters was targeted, adding that the group assures everyone it will provide safety for citizens and diplomatic missions.