Heavily-armed Taliban fighters ride swan PEDALOS on Afghanistan lake

Publish date: 2024-05-30

Heavily armed Taliban fighters have been pictured riding swan pedalos on a lake in Afghanistan, as women continue to be oppressed under the rule of the jihadists.

Photographs, taken on Thursday, showed several pedalos being operated by the jihadi fighters – some of whom were seen carrying military-grade rifles – on Band e-Amir Lake in the country’s Bamyan province.

Some of the pedalos were shaped like swans, and appeared to also be transporting tourists on the lake.

Heavily armed Taliban fighters (pictured) have been pictured riding swan pedalos on a lake in Afghanistan, as women continue to be oppressed under the rule of the jihadists

Heavily armed Taliban fighters (pictured) have been pictured riding swan pedalos on a lake in Afghanistan, as women continue to be oppressed under the rule of the jihadists

Photographs, taken on Thursday, showed several pedalos being operated by the jihadi fighters - some of whom were seen carrying military-grade rifles - on Band e-Amir Lake in the country's Bamyan province

Photographs, taken on Thursday, showed several pedalos being operated by the jihadi fighters – some of whom were seen carrying military-grade rifles – on Band e-Amir Lake in the country’s Bamyan province

Some of the pedalos were shaped like swans, and appeared to also be transporting tourists on the lake

Some of the pedalos were shaped like swans, and appeared to also be transporting tourists on the lake

The majority of the tourists appeared to be men, but some women dressed in hijabs could also be seen in the small boats out on the clear blue water.

The lake is found in Afghanistan’s Band-e Amir National Park – once a hotspot for international travellers and domestic tourists. Since the Taliban seized power last year, tourism to the country is now almost non-existent.

The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, roughly 45 miles from Bamiyan, east of Kabul. It is formerly the home of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which the Taliban destroyed in 2001. 

Pictures on Wednesday also showed some domestic tourists at the site where the Buddhas once stood, while Taliban fighters patrolled the area with AK-47 assault rifles. 

The lake is found in Afghanistan's Band-e Amir National Park - once a hotspot for international travellers and domestic tourists. The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, roughly 45 miles from Bamiyan, east of Kabul. It is formerly the home of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which the Taliban destroyed in 2001. Pictured: A group of women walk past the site where the Buddhas once stood on Wednesday

The lake is found in Afghanistan’s Band-e Amir National Park – once a hotspot for international travellers and domestic tourists. The park contains a series of six deep blue lakes situated in the Hindu Kush mountains, roughly 45 miles from Bamiyan, east of Kabul. It is formerly the home of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which the Taliban destroyed in 2001. Pictured: A group of women walk past the site where the Buddhas once stood on Wednesday

A tourist visits the site where the Shahmama Buddha statue once stood before being destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001

A tourist visits the site where the Shahmama Buddha statue once stood before being destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001

Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the site where the Shahmama Buddha statue once stood before being destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001, in Bamiyan province

Taliban fighters stand guard in front of the site where the Shahmama Buddha statue once stood before being destroyed by the Taliban in March 2001, in Bamiyan province

The pictures demonstrate a dirth of international tourism to Afghanistan, with travel to all areas of the country labelled as unsafe by many governments since the Taliban took back control of the country in August last year as international forces backing a pro-Western government pulled out.

Since then, human rights – particularly those of women and girls – have been severely curtailed, with the Taliban bringing back strict laws that deprive them of equal rights to men, such as access to education and jobs.

Last week, the United Nations Human Rights Council passed a resolution condemning rights violations against women and girls in the country, and urged the Taliban to end practices described as making them ‘invisible’.

‘Since August 2021, the human rights situation in Afghanistan has seriously deteriorated, especially for women and girls,’ said Czech ambassador Václav Bálek on behalf of the EU, which brought the resolution.

‘Restrictive measures put in place by the Taliban are making (them) … invisible in Afghanistan society.’

Since the fall of Kabul, the Taliban have been pictured on several occasions visiting the country’s tourist sites.

In September – one month after their victory – dozens of fighters were seen riding fairground rides and riding pedalos at a theme park near Kabul. A week earlier, others were pictured at the Band e-Amir Lake doing the same thing, while women around the country protested against their treatment.

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