Afghans attend a concert to celebrate the 98th Independence Day anniversary of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 19, 2017. It is the first time over the past 16 years that Afghans celebrate their Independence Day with a music concert in the country where Taliban militants and like-minded groups have been fighting to regain power and re-impose strict laws to ban cultural festivals and women activities. (Xinhua/Rahmat Alizadah)

 
Afghans observed their country's 98th Independence Day anniversary throughout the insurgency-plagued country amid tight security on Saturday.

However, in an unexpected and rare incident, people in the capital city of Kabul celebrated the day by holding a music concert at a luxury hotel where female pop star Aryana Sayeed and some other singers performed in the evening to bring smile to the faces of audiences.

"It is unique incident in my life that I am attending the live concert on Independence Day to enjoy music and freedom in a peaceful environment," said Karima, a teenage girl attending the concert.

"I like to have happy Independence Day like today, I like to live in peace and enjoy the life's happiness throughout my life," Karima told Xinhua with excitement.

The concert was initially scheduled to be held in Ghazi Stadium, the national sport stadium in Kabul where Taliban militants used to execute or stone to death the alleged criminals during their rule which ended in late 2001.

The venue of the concert, however, was changed later on the day due to security threats as some religious circles described the program as "vulgarity" and vowed to disrupt it.

It is the first time over the past 16 years that Afghans celebrate their Independence Day with a music concert in the country where Taliban militants and like-minded groups have been fighting to regain power and re-impose strict laws to ban cultural festivals and women activities.

More than 3,500 spectators had encouraged the pop singer, Aryana Sayeed, and her team for their performances with clapping, laughing and cheering.

Ignoring extremists' threats, a viewer told local media: "We have been fed up with militancy and endemic fighting. Let's celebrate our national days, our happiness and enjoy music, cinema and theatres like other civilized nations."

More than 10,000 people including women and girls reportedly had bought tickets to attend the concert but the number of spectators had been reduced due to the sudden change of the venue of the show.

The concert, according to its organizers, was a fund-raising show to assist hundreds of displaced families that have been forced to leave their houses following the attacks of militants loyal to the Taliban and Islamic State (IS) group in Mirza Olang, a village of the northern Sari Pul province over the past month.

"Our sole objective of the concert is to bring smile to the face of people and also help those people who have left their houses due to the war in Mirza Olang," an organizer of the concert, Haseeb Sayeed, told Xinhua.