Londoners Hold 'Free Afghanistan, Sanction Pakistan' Rally

The rally comes almost a week after the Taliban* took control of Kabul and almost all other provinces of Afghanistan and declared the end of the 20-year-long war in the country.

Watch a live broadcast from London, UK, where citizens are gathering on Saturday, 21 August, to express their support to the people of Afghanistan.

The rally is being held under the slogan "Free Afghanistan, Sanction Pakistan", referring to the alleged support Islamabad has been providing to the Taliban, which has established control over Afghanistan.

The protesters turned on national music and unfurled a huge flag of Afghanistan. They carried posters calling for democracy and "immediate action" from the international community to stop the Taliban.

The Afghan Association Paiwand told Sputnik earlier that the event had been authorided by the city authorities. The police are on duty at the scene.

Last Sunday, the Taliban* took control of the capital Kabul and nearly all other provinces of the country. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled to the United Arab Emirates, while the Taliban declared the 20-year war was over and announced its plans to establish the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. 

British Foreign Minister Dominic Raab, meanwhile, has come under fire for his handling of the crisis in Afghanistan as he allegedly refused to interrupt his holiday to call his Afghan counterpart, Haneef Atmar, to discuss the evacuation of Afghan interpreters ahead of the Taliban takeover.

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© Ruptly

*The Taliban is a terrorist organisation banned in Russia.