Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, said in a new report submitted to the UN Security Council on the situation in Afghanistan that the Taliban continue to emphasize the promotion of Akhundzada’s views and loyalty to him within the group’s governance structure. According to the report, Taliban opposition groups have carried out limited attacks that have failed to significantly challenge Taliban control over Afghanistan. According to Guterres, border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan have also caused civilian casualties and damaged infrastructure. The UN Secretary-General reported 88 attacks by Taliban opponents recorded in 21 provinces, 399 civilians killed and wounded in Taliban-Pakistan clashes, and at least 12 recorded killings of former government officials and members of the former defense and security forces by the Taliban.
The report states that the United Nations has continued to facilitate engagement between the Taliban and the international community through a “comprehensive approach” and working groups on counter-narcotics and the private sector, which were established within the framework of the Doha Process to build trust, advance Afghanistan’s reintegration into the international system, and help the country implement its international commitments.
According to the report, Taliban policies continue to raise serious human rights concerns. The report cites the denial of women’s and girls’ rights, restrictions imposed on women and men, the detention of journalists, violations of the general amnesty announced by the Taliban, and the continued implementation of corporal punishment among the serious concerns raised. It also states that the Taliban have continued to bar Afghanistan citizen women from entering United Nations offices and from working.
The UN Secretary-General said that food insecurity, malnutrition, and public health concerns have continued. The report states that operational constraints, funding shortfalls, and restrictions imposed on female humanitarian workers have continued to hinder the delivery of aid.
According to the report, humanitarian needs remain acute amid a severe shortage of financial resources. The United Nations added that the “2026 Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan” continues to face a significant funding shortfall, with only 29.9 percent of its required budget secured. According to the report, of the total $1.7 billion required for the plan, only $513 million has been secured.
The UN Secretary-General said that the Taliban marked the fifth anniversary of their rule in Kabul and Kandahar on August 15, coinciding with the fifth anniversary of the fall of Afghanistan. The report states that the Taliban governance structure remains highly centralized, with key decisions made by Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s leader, and institutional cohesion maintained through strict loyalty to him. According to the report, consultation and collective decision-making mechanisms remain opaque.
The UN Secretary-General said that in the absence of a constitution, the pattern of issued decrees is regarded as the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic sharia. According to the report, the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice also continues to be considered one of the main institutions for enforcing this interpretation, particularly about strict social norms and severe restrictions against women and girls.
The report also refers to a verbal order from the Taliban Supreme Leader banning the use of smartphones. The report states that the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has received reports indicating that the level of enforcement of these restrictions has varied across different regions, types of institutions, and different levels and roles of Taliban officials.
According to the report, the Taliban Supreme Leader has continued to replace and appoint loyalists to leadership positions. The report states that at the ministerial level, these appointments included the Taliban’s Minister of Information and Culture and eight deputy ministers of the group. At the local level, Akhundzada appointed six governors, nine deputy governors, 17 district governors, one mayor, seven police chiefs, and at least 14 heads of local departments under Taliban control.
The UN Secretary-General told the Security Council that the United Nations has continued its consultations, as part of the comprehensive approach, within the framework of the Doha Process’s counter-narcotics and private sector working groups, including with the participation of male and female experts. According to the report, the active participation of these experts has helped advance discussions on both issues; however, the Taliban have continued to emphasize the existence of a gap between the expectations and actions of members of the international community on difficult political issues.
Insecurity
The report states that from May 1 to July 31, the United Nations recorded 2,947 security-related incidents, an 11 percent increase compared to the same period last year. According to the report, Taliban military opponents became more decentralized and dispersed during this period, focusing more on local activities.
The UN Secretary-General said these groups claimed responsibility for 88 incidents in 21 provinces, 55 of which have been verified by the United Nations. The report states that these attacks primarily consisted of ambushes and attacks on checkpoints, targeting Taliban personnel and military installations. According to the report, on June 5, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb outside a boys’ school in Kabul. Also on July 17, the “Homeland Warriors Front” briefly seized administrative buildings in Badakhshan province before withdrawing.
The report states that the Afghanistan-Pakistan border has remained unsettled due to drone surveillance, airstrikes, and retaliatory military actions. According to the report, Pakistani airstrikes affected the provinces of Ghazni, Kunar, Khost, Paktika, and Paktia. According to the report, on June 30, the Taliban’s Ministry of Defense reported retaliatory drone strikes against locations in Pakistan that were claimed to be bases for the Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISIL-K) and Taliban opposition groups. Intermittent shelling and clashes between Pakistani security forces and the Taliban also continued along the border regions.
The UN Secretary-General said that on June 30, ISIL-K claimed responsibility for an attack on a military checkpoint in Nuristan province, as well as for the killing of a Taliban official near Faizabad, the capital of Badakhshan province, on July 29. The report states that between May 1 and July 31, the United Nations recorded 64 security incidents that directly affected its personnel.
Regional Cooperation
The UN Secretary-General also referred to regional meetings and the concerns of regional countries’ security officials. He said that on April 28, the defense ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) discussed Afghanistan in Bishkek. According to the report, Andrei Belousov, Russia’s Defense Minister, stated that Taliban-controlled Afghanistan is one of the main sources of transnational crime and terrorist threats. Sergei Shoigu, Secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and Mohammad Yaqoob, the Taliban’s Defense Minister, also signed a technical-military cooperation agreement in Moscow.
The report also notes bilateral engagements between the Taliban and Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Iran in areas including facilitating the visa issuance process for patients, establishing trade houses, and economic agreements worth $200 million. According to the Secretary-General’s report, discussions were also held on the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) pipeline, and Turkmenistan announced that construction of the pipeline had reached 67 percent progress. Cooperation meetings with India have also been held.
The Secretary-General also referred to the ninth ministerial conference on women in Islamabad and the position of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) at that meeting. At the conference, the OIC expressed concern over the continued restrictions against women and girls and stated that these restrictions are inconsistent with Islamic values. UNAMA has also continued its monthly engagements with ambassadors based in Kabul and has participated in regional dialogue forums.
Human Rights Violations
Clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan between April 1 and June 30 caused 399 civilian casualties, including 57 killed and 342 wounded. According to the report, Pakistani airstrikes on June 28 in Kunar, Paktika, and Paktia provinces killed 28 civilians and wounded 189 others. Pakistan has stated that these strikes targeted terrorist hideouts in accordance with the principles of distinction and proportionality; in response, the Taliban’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected the claim that armed individuals were the targets of the attacks.
The report states that protests took place in Badakhshan province against the destruction of poppy fields, during which two people were killed by Taliban fighters’ gunfire while fleeing. According to the report, UNAMA recorded at least 12 killings, 13 arbitrary detentions or arrests, and three cases of torture or ill-treatment against former government officials and members of the former Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
The Secretary-General’s report states that the Taliban have continued to detain journalists and suspend media activities. According to the report, in the city of Herat, women were detained for not complying with dress code regulations, which sparked protests that were violently dispersed. According to the report, the “Principles on the Separation of Spouses” establish limited grounds for women to request separation and reinforce the authority of the male guardian.
The UN Secretary-General told the Security Council that the total prison population had reached 30,300 people by July 20.
The report also states that consultations have shown that climate-related shocks, including water shortages and floods, have severely worsened food insecurity and unemployment. Meanwhile, mahram-related restrictions have made it more difficult for women to access humanitarian aid and health services.
The report states that nearly 1.15 million returnees entered Afghanistan between January and August 2026, mostly from Pakistan and Iran. This trend has placed severe pressure on the local labor market and the absorption capacity of communities. According to the report, the closure of the border with Pakistan and conflicts in the Middle East have disrupted trade and increased transportation costs, resulting in overall inflation reaching 7.8 percent and food inflation reaching 8.2 percent in May.
It has also been stated that international donor groups have reaffirmed their support through the Doha Process, but have emphasized that restrictions imposed on women and girls remain the main obstacle to increased international support. The “Afghanistan Strategic Framework” has faced a 50 percent funding shortfall. According to the report, discussions on climate financing also referred to the allocation of $8 million by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
The report states that microfinance disbursements reached $71.3 million through 23,789 loans, 33 percent of which supported women-owned businesses. According to the report, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has stated that 2.4 million girls remain excluded from secondary education five years after the Taliban takeover. A study by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has also estimated that restrictions on women’s education and workforce participation cost Afghanistan at least $84 million annually.
According to the report, humanitarian needs remain acute due to the large-scale return of migrants, funding shortfalls, trade disruptions, and severe floods. The report states that between January and May 2026, humanitarian assistance reached 6.8 million people. The organization stated that 61 percent of humanitarian organizations have faced increased mahram-related requirements for female staff, and funding shortfalls have caused half of the surveyed organizations to halt measures supporting female staff.
The report states that approximately 13.8 million people faced acute food insecurity at Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) level 3 or 4. In addition, more than 3.7 million children under the age of five and 1.2 million pregnant or breastfeeding women faced acute malnutrition. According to the report, more than 150 health centers closed or suspended their operations between January and June due to funding cuts.
The UN Secretary-General said that contamination from unexploded ordnance and explosive materials has continued, and the capacity for mine clearance and explosive ordnance disposal activities has decreased by 38 percent. In addition, the Taliban have created 159 access restrictions for the organization through interference in program implementation.
The United Nations has stated that opium cultivation has decreased, but methamphetamine trafficking originating from or transiting through Afghanistan has continued to increase. According to the report, UN-supported centers have provided addiction treatment services to 63,340 people, including 18,141 women, and 89,068 people have benefited from alternative livelihood assistance.
The UN Secretary-General has called on the Taliban to lift all bans and restrictions against women and girls, respect media freedom, end corporal punishment, honor commitments related to the general amnesty, and comply with international human rights standards.
The Secretary-General has also called on all parties involved in the cross-border clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law. He has also called on UN member states to fulfill their protection obligations, including the principle of non-refoulement, and to support the safe and voluntary return and reintegration of returnees.
You can read the Persian version of this report here:
گزارش سازمان ملل؛ طالبان به نقض حقوق بشر و اعمال محدودیت علیه شهروندان ادامه دادند
