LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — In response to the severe storms and tornadoes that caused significant damage over the Memorial Day weekend, Governor Sanders has ordered that all United States and Arkansas flags be flown at half-staff across the state from sunrise to sunset on June 2.

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From the black flag of Emir Habibullah Khan to the white flag of the Taliban, Afghanistan’s national flag has undergone 12 changes in the past 105 years. Before Afghanistan’s independence, the national flag was black, featuring a mihrab and minbar. The most recent change occurred nearly three years ago, on August 15, 2021, when the Taliban seized power.

The flying of the flags at half-staff will serve as an honoring of the 10 lives tragically lost during the severe weather.

WHEREAS: In the early morning of Sunday, May 26, 2024, severe storms and tornadoes caused significant damage to communities in northern Arkansas;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, acting under the authority vested in me as Governor of the State of Arkansas, do hereby order that the United States flag and the state flag of Arkansas be flown at half-staff throughout the State from sunrise to sunset on Sunday, June 2, 2024, one week after this storm, in memory of the lives lost.

WHEREAS: Ten Arkansans tragically lost their lives as a result of these storms, in Baxter, Benton, Boone, and Marion counties;

1928 – The black flag was changed to a tricolor (black, red, green) representing freedom, with symbols of Islam, wheat, and the sun.

2021-present – The tricolor flag was replaced with the white Taliban flag, though the United Nations still recognizes the tricolor flag.

As of now, the tricolor flag may only be officially recognized outside its homeland, flown at international events such as the Olympics and by the United Nations.

WHEREAS: Arkansas’ first responders have worked day and night to clear roads, repair public infrastructure, and rescue stranded people. They have been assisted by first responders from surrounding communities and states;

1996-2001 – Afghanistan had two flags: the Taliban’s white flag and the Mujahideen’s tricolor flag. The United Nations recognized the Mujahideen’s flag.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed this 31st day of May, in the year of our Lord 2024."

Nasrullah Stanikzai, a university professor, remarked, “In the past hundred years, Afghanistan’s flag has undergone ideological changes during three major periods: the red flag of the Khalqi regime, the black, white, and green flag of the Mujahideen, and the white flag of the Taliban, reflecting their ideological impositions without legal legitimacy.”

The latest flag change took place in August, a month significant for Afghanistan. The previous government, led by President Ashraf Ghani, celebrated National Flag Day on August 7, and Independence Day on August 19. The roots of Afghanistan’s tricolor flag date back to the country’s independence and the era of King Amanullah Khan.

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WHEREAS: Federal, state, and local leaders have worked hand-in-hand to secure aid for impacted communities and provide any assistance possible, and;

In response to the severe storms and tornadoes that caused significant damage over the Memorial Day weekend, Governor Sanders has ordered that all United States and Arkansas flags be flown at half-staff across the state from sunrise to sunset on June 2. (PHOTO: Adobe Stock)

WHEREAS: Arkansans in these communities lost homes and businesses and sustained considerable property damage. Cleanup from the disaster is ongoing and will take significant time to complete;

Afghanistan’s flag history reflects the nation’s turbulent political changes. The tricolor flag, associated with the country’s independence, remains a symbol of national identity for many Afghans. Despite the Taliban’s imposition of their white flag, international bodies like the United Nations continue to recognize the tricolor flag.