The International Criminal Court (ICC) has closed part of its investigation into Afghanistan that could have included actions by US military forces.
Reuters reported on Friday night, November 13, that ICC judges had decided to close this part of the investigation and focus on the Taliban’s actions since 2021.
According to the report, this part of the investigation had examined alleged crimes committed by US military forces during their presence in Afghanistan.
The judicial decision not only closes the proceedings concerning alleged crimes by US forces but also ends the investigation into the activities of the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) militant group.
This move marks the latest development in a legal dispute between prosecutors and judges over the Afghanistan case, which emerged after the US imposed sanctions on the court.
Washington imposed the sanctions in response to the issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli officials and the investigation into the conduct of US soldiers in Afghanistan.
The judges said they had decided to close part of the case because prosecutors had failed to demonstrate that they could effectively pursue other allegations in Afghanistan beyond those concerning the Taliban.
However, the separation of these cases means that the arrest warrants issued against four Taliban leaders in Afghanistan remain in force.
