Taliban face first challenge as people come out with Afghan flags

Afghan Taliban faced its first major internal challenge on Wednesday as people in two different cities came out to protest, which turned violent as the militiamen open fired. 

In Jalalabad, three people were killed and more than a dozen injured after Taliban fighters shot at protestors following an attempt by local residents to install Afghanistan's national flag at a square, witnesses told Reuters. 

A Taliban source claimed only one person had been killed in the city, located some 150 km (90 miles) to the east of Kabul near the country's border with Pakistan. 

Video footage shot by Pajhwok Afghan News, a local news agency, showed protesters who were carrying the Afghan flag fleeing with the sound of gunshots in the background.

A former police official said that four people had been killed and 13 injured in the protests, without giving further details.

It was not immediately possible to verify how the deaths occurred.

"There were some troublemakers who wanted to create issues for us," said a Taliban militant who was present in Jalalabad at the time of the incident. "These people are exploiting our relaxed policies."

Taliban spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment.

Similar protests took place in the city of Khost. 

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