The Taliban’s destruction of the Bamiyan Buddha statues in early 2001 shocked the world.
Now that they’re back, they want a kinder, nicer image. So they are running the site with the two holes where Buddhas stood as a tourist attraction, NBC News reported.
For around $5, curious visitors can wander around and take photos of the giant holes in the cliff face where the ancient Buddha statues once stood.
Under a white Taliban flag, soldiers man a booth and write out admission tickets.
Sidiq Ullah, who is a supporter of the militant group, came to see the historic site this week with friends from Kandahar.
“I was young when these were destroyed, about 7 years old, and since then it has been a dream to come and see what happened here,” he said.
“I’m happy it was destroyed. I’m here to see the ruins actually.”
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