ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban leader warned God would severely punish Afghans who are ungrateful for Islamic rule in the country, according to a statement released Friday marking the fourth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power.

The Taliban seized Afghanistan on Aug. 15, 2021, as the U.S. and NATO withdrew their forces at the end of a two-decade war.

Since then, they have imposed their interpretation of Islamic law on daily life, including sweeping restrictions on women and girls, based on edicts from their leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

Akhundzada , who is seldom seen in public, said in a statement that Afghans had endured hardships and made sacrifices for almost 50 years so that Islamic law, or Sharia, could be established. Sharia had saved people from “corruption, oppression, us

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