Several killed in flag-waving protests against Taliban in Afghanistan

Flag-waving protesters took to the streets of several Afghan cities on Thursday as popular opposition to the Taliban spread, and a witness said several people were killed when the militants fired on a crowd.

"Our flag, our identity," a crowd of men and some women waving black, red and green national flags shouted in the capital, a video clip posted on social media showed, on the day Afghanistan celebrates its 1919 independence from British control.

One woman walked with a flag wrapped around her shoulders. 

A Taliban spokesman was not immediately available for comment.

The Taliban have presented a moderate face to the world since they marched into Kabul on Sunday, saying they want peace, will not take revenge against old enemies and will respect the rights of women within the framework of Islamic law.

How the Taliban handle the protests, which have included people tearing down white Taliban flags, according to media, could determine whether people put faith in their assurances that they have changed since their 1996-2001 rule, when they severely restricted women, staged public executions and blew up ancient Buddhist statues.

In Asadabad, capital of the eastern province of Kunar, several people were killed during a rally but it was not clear if the casualties resulted from Taliban firing or from a stampede that it triggered, witness Mohammed Salim said.

Protesters also took to the streets of the city of Jalalabad and a district of Paktia province, both also in the east.

On Wednesday, Taliban fighters fired at protesters waving flags in Jalalabad, killing three, witnesses and media reported. Media reported similar scenes in Asadabad and another eastern city, Khost, on Wednesday.

First Vice President Amrullah Saleh, who is trying to rally opposition to the Taliban, expressed support for the protests.

"Salute those who carry the national flag and thus stand for dignity of the nation," he said on Twitter.

Saleh said on Tuesday he was in Afghanistan and the "legitimate caretaker president" after President Ashraf Ghani fled as the Taliban took Kabul on Sunday.