Haibatullah Akhunzada made his first public appearance since seizing control of the Taliban in 2016 and praised Afghanistan’s “security” status.

For the second time since gaining control of the Taliban in 2016; Afghanistan’s top leader Haibatullah Akhunzada appeared in public to tell believers celebrating Eid al-Fitr that the Taliban had gained freedom and security since capturing power last year.

Akhunzada spoke surrounded by security just days after a huge explosion ripped through a Kabul mosque; killing more than 50 people following Friday prayers. The latest in a series of strikes on civilian targets in Afghanistan during Ramadan.

“Congratulations on victory, independence, and prosperity,” Akhunzada greeted tens of thousands of worshippers at the Eidgah mosque in Kandahar, the Taliban’s de facto power centre, on Saturday. “Congratulations on this level of security and on the Islamic system as a whole.”

While the number of explosions has decreased since the Taliban took control of Kabul last August, assaults spiked during the last two weeks of Ramadan, which ended on Saturday for Afghans. Hundreds of civilians have been killed in mostly sectarian attacks targeting members of the Shia and Sufi Muslim communities, some of which have been claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) armed group.