Viral footage of ‘Taliban soldiers’ riding dodgems at a theme park has left people horrified

Viral footage apparently showing members of the Taliban riding around in dodgems at a fairground in Afghanistan has left people horrified.

The Taliban took control of Afghanistan on Sunday after president Ashraf Ghani fled the country, leaving behind chaotic and distressing scenes, as thousands of Afghans attempted to flee the country by any means necessary.

Taliban soldiers appear to have been celebrating their rapid advance across the country at a theme park in the north-western city of Herat. The footage was first reported on Friday after Afghanistan’s third-biggest city had fallen to the Taliban, but it is unclear when the videos were actually recorded.

In one clip several men can be seen riding around in dodgems, with a few men carrying what would appear to be rifles. Another shows a group of men riding on a children’s merry-go-round.

The surreal footage has left many onlookers stunned, especially as there is already so much suffering elsewhere in the country.

Footage has also emerged of members of the Taliban working out in gyms in the presidential palace in Kabul.

The Taliban’s ruthless seizure of power in Afghanistan is already having consequences across the nation and the rest of the world as president Joe Biden faces questions about his decision to withdraw US troops. Speaking on Monday, the POTUS said: “I will not repeat the mistakes we have made in the past, the mistake of staying and fighting indefinitely in a conflict that is not in the interests of the United States.”

Elsewhere the situation at Kabul airport, where seven people have already died, is said to be “stabilising” but US officials are said to already be planning more evacuations for those seeking refuge.