KABUL — The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has documented at least six killings of former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) members in the first three months of 2025, highlighting ongoing violence and targeting of individuals linked to the former government.
According to UNAMA’s quarterly human rights update, released this week, the Taliban detained at least 23 former government officials and ANDSF members during this period. At least five were subjected to torture or other forms of ill-treatment. Many of the arrests took place in Panjshir and Kabul and were reportedly tied to alleged links to the National Resistance Front.
These figures come despite repeated public commitments by the Taliban leadership to refrain from retaliatory actions against former officials.
Corporal punishment
UNAMA also reported continued public implementation of judicial corporal punishment. Between January and March 2025, at least 180 individuals — including 35 women and three girls — were flogged, sometimes in stadiums or courts with public attendance.
In one instance on February 23 in Khost city, 18 individuals were flogged inside a provincial court, including four men convicted of homosexuality and 14 others accused of extramarital affairs. According to the report, sentences included 30 to 39 lashes and up to five years in prison. Another event on February 25 in Jawzjan saw 13 individuals publicly flogged in a sports stadium.
Restrictions on women and girls
The report details an escalation in gender-based restrictions. Women’s access to employment continues to be curtailed, particularly in sectors like beauty services and media.
UNAMA documented several incidents in which Taliban officers conducted warrantless searches of women’s home-based salons, confiscating cosmetics and closing operations.
On March 3, Taliban inspectors visited a hospital and instructed staff to deny care to unaccompanied female patients. In February, taxi drivers in Farah refused to transport women without a mahram, and women in Badakhshan and Herat were barred from certain public spaces, including cross-border markets and mosques.
Media suppression and freedom of expression
UNAMA noted increased suppression of press freedoms, including a ban on live political talk shows and continued threats to journalists cooperating with media outlets abroad.
On February 4, Radio Begum’s office was raided, and two of its staff members were arrested. The station was suspended for allegedly broadcasting content to a foreign-based outlet.
Civilian harm and militant attacks
Civilians also continued to suffer from targeted attacks. According to the report, on February 11, a suicide bombing outside Kabul Bank in Kunduz killed four civilians and 15 Taliban personnel. On February 13, another attack at the Ministry of Urban Development in Kabul left three dead and 10 wounded. Both attacks were claimed by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP).
UNAMA also recorded 42 casualties — mostly children — caused by unexploded ordnance.
Religious persecution and forced conversions
In Badakhshan, UNAMA found that at least 50 Ismaili men were forced to convert to Sunni Islam between January and February. Those who resisted were beaten or threatened with death, while their children were compelled to attend Sunni madrassas.
UNAMA’s report was released shortly after the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrant applications against Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, accusing them of crimes against humanity on gender grounds.
Despite Taliban claims that rights are being protected under Islamic law, UNAMA’s findings suggest continued and systemic violations.
UNAMA’s quarterly report paints a grim picture of Afghanistan under Taliban rule, with rising abuses against former officials, harsh corporal punishments, erosion of women’s rights, and growing insecurity for civilians. The agency has urged the international community to remain engaged in monitoring the situation and protecting vulnerable groups.
