Maine’s Afghan-American community plans to hold a public demonstration Friday afternoon in Monument Square to call attention to the plight of loved ones in Afghanistan.

“This event is for a protest for Afghanistan and the current situation happening with the Taliban’s taking over the country and major cities in Afghanistan and the killing of innocent Afghans,” organizers wrote on the application for a public assembly permit from the city.

The protest will be held from 3-4 p.m.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Tuesday. Associated Press

Afghan-Americans watched in horror last weekend as news reports showed the Taliban had seized power again just two weeks before the United States was expected to complete its troop withdrawal after two decades of war in Afghanistan. Many question whether the oppressive Islamist military organization will form the “open, inclusive” government that has been promised by a Taliban spokesman.

The Afghan community in Maine numbers about 50 families, or about 300 to 400 people, some of whom came here after helping U.S.-led forces oust the Taliban from power in 2001. Now, the Western-backed government that replaced the Taliban has collapsed and many Afghans are being evacuated or attempting to flee the country.