The Taliban violently broke up a protest in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday killing at least one person. The violence came just one day after the militants promised to respect women’s rights and forgive those who resisted them. In a rare public show of opposition to the Taliban, people in the city of Jalalabad raised the national flag a day before Afghanistan's Independence Day, which honors the end of British rule in 1919. They lowered the Taliban flag a white flag with an Islamic message that the militants have raised in the areas they captured. Videos show the Taliban firing into the air and attacking people with sticks to break up the crowd. A local health official said at least one person was killed and six were wounded. Babrak Amirzada is a reporter for a local news agency. He said he and a TV cameraman from another agency were beaten by the Taliban as they tried to cover the unrest. More videos from the Panjshir Valley north of Kabul appear to show a gathering of possible opposition leaders. The area is home to the Northern Alliance militias that allied with the U.S. against the Taliban in 2001. It is the only area that has not yet fallen to the Taliban. Those leaders include members of the former government Vice President Amrullah Saleh and Defense Minister Gen. Bismillah Mohammadi. The son of the late Northern Alliance leader Ahmad Shah Massoud was also there. Saleh said on Twitter that he is the country's rightful president. It is not clear if they plan to oppose the Taliban, who took control over most of the country in a matter of days last week.
