Heavy gunfire broke out in the Afghan capital as the Taliban were cracking down on a protest, Euronews' correspondent in Kabul reported. The Taliban started firing to disperse a protest and told journalists to stop filming. The street was quiet after ten minutes of non-stop gunfire. Scores of Afghan protesters marched against Taliban rule through the streets of Kabul on Tuesday, in what appeared to be the largest demonstration in the capital since the militant group seized power in Afghanistan last month. According to photos and videos shared on social media, activists shouted in support of resistance fighters in the holdout province of Panjshir and chanted against Pakistan, which they view as meddling in Afghan affairs. Videos from central Kabul showed at least dozens of men and women marching through the streets shouting "Death to Pakistan" as the demonstrators made their way towards the presidential palace. Some witnesses estimated the crowd at between 300 and 500 people — many of whom were women wearing the hijab, according to a CNN report. There were also slogans in favor of the leader of the National Resistance Front (NRF), Ahmad Masoud, who has been leading opposition to the Taliban from the province of Panjshir. On Monday he called for a national uprising against Taliban rule as the militant group claimed victory in the mountainous region, following two weeks of intense fighting with the NRF. The NRF denied that claim, however, with spokesman Ali Nazary telling CNN: "The resistance is still all over the valley." One man told Reuters: "I have come today to ask why Pakistan is destroying Panjshir. I am from Panjshir. People need to express their anger, men and women, they must not stay silent. Pakistan enters my country and destroys it. Neither Pakistan nor the Taliban or Al-Qaida have this right. Long live Panjshir and its resistance." According to several social media accounts of Afghan journalists, reporters and cameramen who had been detained by the Taliban during the protests in Kabul Tuesday have been released. Kabul News posted on Twitter that Ahmad Najim Sultani, a photographer for Kabul News TV, was injured and Imran Fazli, a journalist, was beaten during today's protest in Kabul. "The Taliban also confiscated photography equipment," it said. The Afghan network TOLO news said in a tweet: "Waheed Ahmadi, a TOLO news photographer, was released by Taliban forces after a three-hour detention. The Taliban returned the photos to Mr Ahmadi with a camera." Ariana News, another private TV network based in Kabul, had also said that its reporter and cameraman were detained. The Taliban took over Afghanistan's capital city in mid-August after a rapid sweep through the country. It followed US President Joe Biden's announcement in April that the US would withdraw their troops by September. The Taliban declared on Monday that they had taken over Panjshir Valley, the last province held by resistance fighters. Ahmad Massoud, who has been leading resistance fighters there, called for a "national uprising" against the Taliban. In Kabul, women had recently protested in support of their rights. When the Taliban previously ruled in Afghanistan between 1996 and 2001, women were not allowed to work or go to school and could only leave home with a male companion. — Euronews/CNN
