Afghanistan’s Taliban authorities marked the fourth anniversary of their capture of Kabul on 15 August with flower-dropping helicopter flights and speeches across the capital, while canceling last year’s military parade at the former U.S. Bagram airbase. The anniversary, branded “Victory Day,” came amid a deepening humanitarian crisis and continued international isolation. The movement is buoyed by Russia’s decision in early July to grant the first formal recognition of its government, a step Taliban officials say they hope other states will follow. Most countries, however, keep only limited contacts and cite sweeping restrictions on women and girls as well as the absence of an inclusive political process. The International Criminal Court last month issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban figures over gender persecution, and U.N. special rapporteurs urged governments not to normalise relations with what they called a “violent and authoritarian” regime. Taliban supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada used the occasion to warn that Afghans who are “ungrateful” for Islamic rule would face divine punishment. In a statement released from Kandahar, he ordered ministers to drop the word “acting” from their titles and told Kabul officials to build additional mosques, underscoring the group’s view that its administration is permanent. Humanitarian indicators remain stark. UNESCO estimates 2.2 million girls are shut out of secondary and higher education, while U.N. agencies report that about 3.5 million Afghans have been forcibly returned from Iran and Pakistan since 2023. Aid flows have declined sharply, and neighbouring Pakistan says the Taliban’s sheltering of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan fighters is fuelling a resurgence of militant attacks across the border.