Dozens of Taliban soldiers gathered in central Afghanistan on September 18 reportedly to honour martyrs and celebrate their liberation from foreign occupation.

The militants were seen crowding under a tent in the Sayed Abad district of Maidan Wardak region. A row of Taliban officials sat in front of the crowd as an unidentified man gave a speech on the podium.

The solemn ceremony is in stark contrast with the jubilance of the Taliban’s previous victory parades where they showcased military hardware which they plundered from U.S. forces. A mock funeral had also been held last month in Khost City, where Taliban sympathizers carried coffins draped in French, British and American flags.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid, speaking to the Taliban’s elite unit at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, proclaimed Afghanistan’s ‘full independence’ on August 31.

He said: ‘Congratulations to Afghanistan… this victory belongs to us all. America was defeated, they could not achieve their targets through military operations.

‘American soldiers left the Kabul airport, and our nation got its full independence.’