Security

UN reports slight rise in security incidents across Afghanistan

Taliban in Kabul. File photo.

The United Nations reported on Thursday that it documented 2,299 security-related incidents in Afghanistan from February 1 to April 30, 2025 — a 3 percent increase compared to the same period last year.

The report, issued by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), highlighted a spate of violent attacks, including several claimed by the Islamic State–Khorasan Province (IS-K). A massacre in Kunduz resulted in 19 deaths, and UNAMA noted intensified clashes along the border, where Pakistan reported killing 54 Pakistan Taliban fighters.

The UN also reported that unexploded ordnance killed 16 civilians and wounded 35 others. Additionally, the Taliban carried out four public executions and made the arbitrary arrests of at least 10 former officials, according to the report.

Despite a ban on girls’ secondary education that has persisted for nearly four years, UNAMA recorded renewed instances of gender-based violence that continue to bar women’s access to justice. The agency also expressed concern over growing restrictions on freedom of speech under Taliban rule.

Afghan women have urged the international community to spotlight the country’s worsening human rights situation. Nahar, a female student, told the UN, “Girls are denied education — and without their voices, there is no hope for our country.”

The Taliban government has not yet responded to the UNAMA report.

Key findings from the UNAMA report:

2,299 security-related incidents (+3%)

19 killed in IS-K attack in Kunduz

54 Pakistan Taliban fighters killed near border

16 civilians killed by unexploded ordnance; 35 injured

4 public executions by Taliban

10 former officials arbitrarily detained

Ongoing 4-year ban on girls’ secondary education

Rising gender-based violence and restrictions on press freedom