UN to investigate suspected abuses in Afghanistan

6/10/2025 18:55

The United Nations Human Rights Council will decide on Monday on an EU proposal to set up a U.N. investigation into abuses in Afghanistan, which could enable criminal investigations into suspected violations by both the Taliban and foreign troops.



The European Union motion calls for investigators to prepare evidence for future court proceedings and is among the strongest form of U.N. rights probe, on par with existing investigations into crimes in Syria and Myanmar.



The United States, which had troops in Afghanistan until 2021 within a NATO coalition, has previously opposed scrutiny of its actions, for example, by the International Criminal Court, but backed research into suspected Taliban violations.



President Donald Trump has disengaged from the council and did not take a stance in these negotiations, diplomats said. However, a State Department spokesperson said: "Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States government will not tolerate international organizations that attempt to exert unlawful jurisdiction over American troops."



Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan researcher at Human Rights Watch, called the launch a "significant step that could break a decades-long cycle of impunity".