Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, stated that the Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) conducted 24 verified attacks against Taliban forces between November 1, 2023, and January 10, 2024.
However, in his quarterly report, Guterres noted that the Taliban’s armed opposition has not given any territorial challenge to the group.
On Wednesday, March 6, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released the quarterly report of the UN Secretary-General on the situation in Afghanistan. In this report, Guterres expressed the challenge of assessing the capabilities of the Taliban's armed opposition, citing difficulty in verifying many claims made on social networks regarding their attacks.
However, Guterres has confirmed that AFF has continued to carry out assassinations and "small-scale attacks" against Taliban forces. According to the report, AFF has shifted attacks from rural to urban areas.
The report provided specific instances of AFF activities, including four attacks in Pul-e-Khumri, Baghlan, four attacks in Kabul, one in Kandahar, one in the Aybak city of Samangan, and one in Mazar-e-Sharif.
It added that the National Resistance Front (NRF) has been most active in Parwan and has not carried out any attacks in its traditional stronghold of Panjshir.
Antonio Guterres said that some other armed opposition groups of the Taliban have also announced their existence and claimed to attack the Taliban forces, but none of these reports have been verified.
Request to Stop Corporal Punishment
The Secretary General of the United Nations wrote that the continuation of the introduction and implementation of Taliban policies that violate the rights of men and women in Afghanistan is alarming.
Antonio Guterres called on the Taliban to cease corporal punishment, which is contrary to Afghanistan's obligations under the Convention against Torture.
Taliban recently executed at least three people in Jowzjan and Ghazni provinces. In one of these cases, Afghanistan International sources said that the Taliban shot dead two individuals sentenced to death.
In addition, the Taliban has flogged dozens of people on various charges during their two-and-a-half-year rule.
Another Day of Grief for Afghan Girls
Guterres has once again called the deprivation of Afghan women and girls from education deeply concerning.
“As the ban on secondary schooling for girls remains, the start of the new school year in March will be another day of grief for Afghan girls and for the world,” he said.
Guterres asked the Taliban to immediately reverse the ban on girl’s education.
He stated that there is uncertainty about the Taliban’s ability to create an education system to address the challenges faced by Afghan youths in acquiring essential knowledge and skills.
The United Nations Secretary-General said that although there is little information about Taliban’s religious madrassas, he is concerned that the quality of education in these institutions doesn’t adequately prepare boys and girls for joining an effective workforce in the future.
Increase in Taliban Prisoners
Guterres’ report also states that the number of prisoners in Taliban prisons exceeded 19,000 in January, which has made it difficult for the group to handle and manage prisons.
As per the report, financial restrictions and the cessation of aid to Taliban prisons have failed to meet international standards. This includes inadequate access for prisoners to sufficient food, health services, and essential training.
The United Nations has indicated that discussions are underway among the Taliban leadership, the Supreme Court, and the Ministries of Economy and Justice regarding a plan for alternatives to imprisonment.
