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,

PARIS—Afghan taekwondo star Marzieh Hamidi told AFP the death threats she has received, forcing her to live under French police protection, show how

Afghan women's group celebrates ICC decision to arrest Taliban leaders for persecution of women, sparking hope for justice.

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.

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.

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 ...

Sher Abbas Stanikzai urges the Taliban to reconsider its ban on girls' education, citing no religious basis for it.

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.

Supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court chief Abdul Hakim Haqqani accused of crimes against humanity

On January 23, 2025, the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) filed two applications for warrants of arrest

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