Taliban probe death threats against UN’s Afghan women staff

The Taliban are investigating explicit death threats against dozens of Afghan women working for the United Nations, according to a report published Sunday.

In its latest update on the human rights situation in Afghanistan, the UN mission to the country said that dozens of female national staff were subjected to explicit death threats in May.

The threats came from unidentified individuals related to their work with the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, other agencies, funds, and programmes, “requiring the UN to implement interim measures to protect their safety,” according to the report.

It said that the Taliban told the UN mission that their personnel were not responsible for the threats. An Interior Ministry investigation is underway, the report said.

Afghan authorities, including the Interior Ministry, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment on the report or the investigation.

The Taliban barred Afghan women from working at domestic and foreign nongovernmental organisations in December 2022, extending this ban to the UN six months later.

Humanitarian agencies say the Taliban have hampered or interfered with their operations, allegations denied by authorities.