Smiling Taliban with guns on pedal boats as they celebrate the anniversary of the Afghan takeover

A year after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, fighters were seen with their families circling a lake in a paddle boat, while Kabul was hit by protests against women's rights

The fighters relaxed on the water as they celebrated one year since the takeover of Afghanistan (

Image: Getty Images)

Taliban members were photographed smiling and laughing on pedal boats while waving guns, a year after taking control of Afghanistan.

Soldiers and their families were photographed on one of the lakes in Band-e-Amir National Park celebrating and enjoying the sunshine.

The lakes are a popular weekend destination in the country and they decided to visit almost a year to the day the day they took over the country while some members gathered in the capital for a rally .

Several people were photographed on the boats above the crystal clear waters, with their semi-automatic rifles around their necks or on their phones.

Others smiled and chatted by the edge of the lake, described by some as the Grand Canyon of Afghanistan, while others decided to test the temperature of the waters in the scorching 40°C heat.

The fighters were seen posing with guns and smiling (

Picture:

Getty Images)

On Saturday August 13, a rally gathered ahead of the first anniversary of the Islamic extremist takeover, which saw around 40 women march past the Ministry of Education building in Kabul.

Women's rights in the country have regressed, having improved since the intervention of the United States, since the Taliban took control last year on .

They chanted 'bread, work and freedom' and carried a banner that read 'August 15 is a black day' before they were dispersed by Taliban fighters who fired shots at them. 'air.