Afghan protests spread to Kabul in early challenge to Taliban

Protests against the Taliban's takeover in Afghanistan have spread to more cities, including the capital Kabul, while the militant group called on the country's imams to urge unity at Friday prayers, the first since they seized control.

Several people were killed when the militants fired on a crowd in Asadabad in the eastern province of Kunar, a witness said. Another witness reported gunshots near a rally in Kabul, but they appeared to be Taliban firing into the air.

"Our flag, our identity," a crowd of men and women waving black, red and green national flags shouted in Kabul, a video posted on social media showed, on the day Afghanistan celebrates independence from British control in 1919.

Marchers chanted "God is greatest". At some protests elsewhere, media have reported people tearing down the white flag of the Taliban.

Some demonstrations are small, but combined with a scramble by thousands of people to flee the country via Kabul airport they underline the challenge the Taliban face to govern.

The Islamist movement conquered Afghanistan at lightning speed as foreign troops withdrew, surprising even its leaders and leaving them to fill power vacuums in many places.

The Taliban urged unity ahead of Friday prayers and called on all imams in Kabul and the provinces to persuade people not to try to leave the country.

Since seizing Kabul on Sunday, the Taliban have presented a more moderate face, saying they want peace, will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.
KABUL, Aug 19 (Reuters)