The Islamic Emirate said in a statement Friday on the occasion of the 36th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan that “the invaders should learn from the successes of jihad in the past 100 years and no longer take steps against the freedom of Afghanistan.”

The Islamic Emirate described Soviet withdrawal day as a “proud day in the history of Afghanistan,” noting that Afghans managed to drive out a great power like the Soviet Union.

“The fact that Afghanistan has been liberated from occupation for the third time in the last 100 years by the help of Allah Almighty shows that the sense of independence among Afghans is strong and our Muslims have a strong determination and commitment to protect their religion,” the statement said.

The Islamic Emirate called on the people of the country to be vigilant against “all kinds of conspiracies and plots and to follow the path of their ancestors and protect their religion, belief and independence by maintaining Islamic determination and unity.”

Meanwhile, Abdullah Abdullah, the head of the High Council for National Reconciliation in the former government, called the victory over the Soviet Union “the end of a dark era in Afghanistan’s history” and a “miracle.”

“Jihad and righteous standing up of our people was unprecedented in the history of nations’ freedom struggles,” he said. “As a result of the sacrifices of the Afghan people, international relations changed and it paved way for the liberation of other deprived nations.”

“Unfortunately, Afghanistan suffered heavy human and financial loss in the 10-year occupation,” he said. “More than a million people were martyred, tens of thousands were disabled and millions more were forced to migrate abroad.”

The last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in 1989 after a decade of war.

The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada addressed students while on a visit to Kandahar University, and emphasized the importance of pursuing both religious and modern education.

Addressing students he said: “You must pursue both religious and modern education, and your intention should solely be to serve religion, as society holds you in high regard. “Society values the madrassa, school, and university students, and expects service from them. “The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has good intentions for you. Schools and universities are now one, and the protection and support of both educational institutions are essential for us.”

Akhundzada added that Afghanistan is now under an Islamic and free system.

He further stated that his directives are derived from the Quran and Hadith, and are made in consultation with religious scholars.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the IEA’s deputy spokesperson, quoted Akhundzada as saying: “Amir al-Mu’minin added that the Islamic Emirate has facilitated all necessary means for the advancement of knowledge.”

The leader of the Islamic Emirate also urged the people to unite and emphasized that Afghanistan is the shared home of all, where every citizen holds a special place within the system.

Some 28 people were injured when a 24-year-old Afghan asylum seeker drove a car into a crowd of people in Munich in what the state premier said was probably an attack on Thursday, as the German city prepared to host a top-level security conference.

Police in the southern city said a car approached police vehicles stopped by a demonstration held by the Verdi union before speeding up and hitting people.

The suspected attack throws security back into the spotlight before a federal election next week following several other violent attacks.

It also came hours before leading international figures, including U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, were in the city for the high-profile Munich Security Conference, which starts on Friday.

“It was probably an attack,” Bavaria state premier Markus Soeder told reporters.

Police said they had detained the driver and did not consider him to pose any further threat.

A passer-by said he witnessed the incident from a window of a neighbouring office building. The car, a Mini Cooper, had threaded its way between the police vehicles and then accelerated, he said.

Another witness said she had seen part of the incident from a building. The car had accelerated and hit several people in the crowd, she said.

People in the crowd were taking part in a strike held by the Verdi public sector workers’ union whose leader, Frank Werneke, expressed shock but said he had no further details.

Police set up a gathering point for witnesses in the Loewenbraeukeller, one of Munich’s oldest beer halls.

The incident occurred around 1.5 kilometres (1 mile) from the security conference venue.

(Reuters)