Mujahideen Victory Day

Mujahideen Victory Day is a political holiday observed in all parts of Afghanistan, falling on the 28 April each year. It commemorates the day when Mujahideen rebel forces overthrew the Communist government in 1992. It is celebrated mostly by former Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Some Afghans are against celebrating the day because it marks the start of civil war.

Not to be confused with the celebration of the Taliban's 2021 return to power, on 15 August.

Mujahideen Victory Day
Members of the Afghan Armed Forces marching during the 2010 Mujahideen Victory Day parade in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Official namePersian: سالروز پیروزی مجاهدین
Pashto: د مجاهدينو د بريا ورځ
Observed byAfghanistan
Date28 April
Next time28 April 2024 (2024-04-28)
Frequencyannual

Current festivities
  • 2012: Cancelled due to security reasons, threats by Taliban insurgents.
  • 2007: Afghan President Hamid Karzai awarded medals to Mujahideen veterans in commemoration of the holiday.[1]
  • 2006: Karzai gave a public speech at Kabul's Chaman-e-Hozori park[2]
    • Also on Victory Day 2006, Afghan parliament member and activist Malalai Joya stood to denounce alleged mujahideen atrocities, and was threatened with death by other parliament deputies. Reporters without Borders journalist Omid Yakmanish was beaten by two parliamentarians while attempting to film the debate.[3]

History

After the monarchy in Afghanistan the Marxist People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan was born took power making Afghanistan a communist country. This was not well received by the people. The Afghans, especially in the rural areas, viewed the new government as un-Islamic.[4][5][6]

At this point the Cold War was going on and due to the USSR being right on the border of a communist Afghanistan they supported them. Meanwhile, the US was supporting the Mujahideen resistance causing a civil war between the government and the resistance. This civil war left the country in ruins and gave birth to Al-Qaeda.[7]

In total, approximately one million casualties occurred due to the war and the holiday marks the end of one of the country's most deadly conflicts.[8]

See also

References
  1. Daoud Khan Men accused of war crimes by rights group likely to get medals OhmyNews, 25 April 2007
  2. Borhan Younus, Ilyas Wahdat and Naeem Kohistani Taliban steps up spring offensive Asia Times, 19 May 2006
  3. Members of parliament beat up cameraman Archived 2006-08-22 at the Wayback MachineReporters Without Borders 12 May 2006
  4. "Secular PDPA". Countrystudies.us. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
  5. "Women in Afghanistan: Pawns in men's power struggles". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 19 April 2009. Retrieved 21 March 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. John Ishiyama (2 March 2005). "The Sickle and the Minaret: Communist Successor Parties in Yemen and Afghanistan after the Cold War". The Middle East Review of International Affairs. IDC Herzliya. Retrieved 21 March 2009.
  7. "Afghanistan Victory Day".
  8. "Afghanistan Victory Day".
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