Secluded in his stronghold in southern Afghanistan, reclusive Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is the cornerstone of the movement that has ruled the country unchallenged since reclaiming power in 2021,

Karim Khan said in a statement he asked judges to approve warrants for the group’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhunzada, and the head of Afghanistan's Supreme Court, Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing the men of crimes against humanity for gender-based persecution.

Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how effective her stinging criticism of the Taliban

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province.

Stanikzai voiced his frustration with the sweeping education bans, condemning the restrictions as both unjust and un-Islamic. He issued a direct and public appeal to Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, urging a change in the policy.

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has told Sky News he is seeking the arrest of two senior Taliban figures over the "systemic and deliberate" persecution of women in Afghanistan.

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them. In a rare public rebuke of government policy, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the foreign ministry, made the remarks during a speech in south-eastern Khost province.

The Afghanistan probe is one of the longest by ICC prosecutors and has been beset by legal and practical delays.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani. They are accused of crimes against humanity due to gender discrimination in Afghanistan.

An International Criminal Court prosecutor has called for arrest warrants for Afghanistan's Taliban leaders over the persecution of women.

But the latest comments marked his first call for a change in policy and a direct appeal to Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada. Ibraheem Bahiss, an analyst with Crisis Group's South Asia program ...