Four Years of Taliban Rule Marked by Intensified Repression, Rising Violence, and Global Condemnation
Four years after the Taliban’s return to power, Afghanistan faces escalating repression, widespread violence, and deepening isolation as international experts warn of crimes against humanity.
Afghanistan entered its fifth year under Taliban rule on Friday amid warnings from UN human rights experts, new data on nationwide violence, and growing international isolation.
A joint statement by UN experts, including Special Rapporteur Richard Bennett, urged the world to reject any normalization of the Taliban’s “violent and authoritarian rule.” They warned that women and girls face an “institutionalized system of gender oppression” amounting to crimes against humanity, citing restrictions on education, work, movement, and expression. At least 1.4 million girls remain barred from schooling since 2021. The experts welcomed arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Taliban leader Haibatullah Akhunzada and the group’s chief justice on charges of gender-based persecution. The Taliban dismissed the allegations, rejecting the ICC’s authority.
On the same day, Akhunzada marked “Victory Day” with a statement warning Afghans of God’s punishment if they showed ingratitude for Taliban rule. The commemoration, filled with male-only ceremonies, drew condemnation from Afghan women’s groups, who staged protests at home and abroad, calling the anniversary a “black day” and an “open wound of history.”
The Taliban continue to claim they have secured the country, but UN figures show otherwise. From August 2021 to June 2025, nearly 25,000 security incidents were documented nationwide, resulting in at least 1,369 civilian deaths and over 3,200 injuries. The Islamic State-Khorasan Province (IS-K) claimed responsibility for 379 attacks, including assassinations of senior Taliban officials such as Balkh Governor Daud Muzammil and Refugee Minister Khalil-ur-Rahman Haqqani. Other armed opposition groups, including the National Resistance Front and Afghanistan Freedom Front, together carried out more than 350 attacks.
A recent UN Security Council report warned that Afghanistan under the Taliban provides a “safe operating environment” for terrorist groups, with IS-K described as the most serious global terrorist threat. Al-Qaida has established at least three new training camps in the country, some reportedly supporting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Meanwhile, the UN has documented explicit death threats against Afghan women working for its mission, underscoring the dangers facing those defying Taliban edicts. Despite Taliban denials, rights groups insist accountability and sustained international pressure are essential.
