Security incidents in Afghanistan rose 14.7% in the past quarter compared with the same period last year, the UN said in a report on the situation in the country and its implications for international peace and security.
The report recorded 2,737 safety and security incidents between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31. It said anti-Taliban armed groups claimed responsibility for 41 attacks during the period — mostly grenade attacks and shootings on Taliban checkpoints and convoys — of which 19 were verified. Groups cited included the Freedom Front, National Resistance Front, National Liberation Front, National Mobilisation Front, Islamic People’s Freedom Front of Afghanistan and the Afghanistan Freedom Movement, with incidents reported in Baghlan, Helmand, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Kunduz, Nimroz, Panjshir and Takhar.
Attacks by Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) decreased in number and scale, the report said, while Taliban security forces continued operations against the group. It cited ISKP claims on Aug. 12 that two of its detainees in Kunduz had been abducted and killed while in custody. Taliban forces killed an ISKP commander on Aug. 13, and on Aug. 15 ISKP said it had executed a man in Nangarhar accused of informing for the Taliban.
Several border incidents occurred along Afghanistan’s frontiers with Iran, Pakistan and Tajikistan between Aug. 1 and Oct. 17. On Aug. 3, Pakistani and Taliban forces clashed over security posts in Nangarhar, and in Kunar Pakistani forces fired rockets into Afghanistan. The report said some incidents resulted in significant casualties.
UN personnel and restrictions
The UN recorded 63 safety and security incidents directly affecting its staff between Aug. 1 and Oct. 31, down from 78 in the same period last year. Travel restrictions affecting UN operations increased after the Taliban enforced a ban on Afghan women staff entering UN offices. Taliban Defence Ministry personnel positioned themselves outside the UN operations centre in Kabul to prevent female staff from entering, with similar steps taken at other compounds.
Nationwide telecom shutdown
The report said Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada ordered a nationwide shutdown of internet and telecommunications on Oct. 1, causing widespread disruption and economic impact. Services were restored roughly 48 hours later following a decision by Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund.
Border clashes with Pakistan
At least 50 people were killed and 453 injured in eight days of border clashes between Pakistani and Taliban forces from Oct. 10–17, it said. Most civilian casualties resulted from airstrikes and cross-border shelling in Spin Boldak and Kabul. The Taliban’s intelligence agency told UNAMA in writing that the Oct. 15 attacks had caused “multiple civilian casualties” and violated a previous Pakistani commitment to refrain from further strikes.
Return of migrants and humanitarian strain
By Nov. 15, some 2.4 million Afghans had returned from neighbouring countries this year, putting pressure on already limited services and resources. Earthquakes in August and November added to humanitarian needs, while funding shortfalls forced cuts to food, health and protection assistance. As of Nov. 7, the humanitarian response plan for 2025 was only 35.7% funded.
The report said Afghanistan’s economy remained weak and inflows of aid continued to decline.
Incidents involving former security personnel
UNAMA documented six extrajudicial killings of former Afghan security forces in the period, along with 24 arbitrary arrests and at least six cases of torture or ill-treatment. The Taliban also carried out 215 flogging sentences — including against 42 women, 170 men, two girls and one boy — for offences including adultery, leaving home without permission, sodomy, alcohol consumption and gambling.
A UN monitoring group on children and armed conflict recorded about 160 grave violations between July 1 and Sept. 30, affecting at least 90 children. Killing and maiming, denial of humanitarian access and attacks on schools and hospitals accounted for roughly 90% of violations.
The report said the Taliban reviewed the national curriculum in September and removed 51 topics, including civic values, human rights, Shia Islam content and references to international institutions.
