Taliban intelligence agents have detained Hamid Ansari, a civil society activist from Balkh province, on accusations that he received funding from the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), sources told Afghanistan International.
Ansari, who heads an organisation focused on education and peace initiatives in Balkh, disappeared in Kabul more than a month ago, the sources said. His family was informed about a week later that he was being held by Taliban intelligence agency.
According to the sources, Taliban authorities accused him of accepting funds from UNAMA to support civil and human rights activities.
A senior United Nations human rights official on Monday called on the international community to use dialogue, incentives and accountability measures to press the Taliban to respect human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls.
Nada Al-Nashif, the UN deputy high commissioner for human rights, told the Human Rights Council that the Taliban’s discriminatory and repressive policies amounted to gender-based persecution. She said bans on education, employment and participation in political, social and civic life had affected “every aspect” of Afghan women’s lives.
Al-Nashif warned that restrictions on women’s medical education were undermining Afghan women’s and girls’ right to health, including reproductive services. She also cited the Taliban’s Virtue and Vice law as a measure that has deepened gender discrimination in families and society.
She urged governments to back independent investigations and prosecutions of human rights violations in Afghanistan, stressing that efforts to ensure accountability must be multi-dimensional.
Al-Nashif said the international community and all UN member states must find effective ways to engage with the Taliban to push the group towards respecting its international obligations.
Senior figures from Afghanistan’s Jamiat-e-Islami party said Monday the group will no longer operate under a single leader and instead will be directed by a “High Council” to oversee political, civil and military efforts against the Taliban.
The announcement, made without the participation of Salahuddin Rabbani, said prominent leaders including Atta Mohammad Noor, Ismail Khan, Ahmad Massoud, Hazrat Ali and Younus Qanooni had agreed on “internal unity” to continue resistance.
In a statement, the faction said the council would draw on religious teachings and the legacy of former Jamiat leaders Burhanuddin Rabbani and Ahmad Shah Massoud to coordinate activities at national, regional and international levels.
The declaration underscored divisions with Salahuddin Rabbani, who inherited leadership of Jamiat after the assassination of his father, Burhanuddin Rabbani, in 2011. A source told Afghanistan International that Noor, previously head of a splinter group, is now a member of the new council.
The group called for national solidarity and cooperation with other political forces to confront the Taliban and urged civil and political actors to unite under a single umbrella.
According to the source, a “Problem-Solving Committee” has worked for two years to heal rifts within the party, resolving many disputes. Rabbani, however, has refused to join the process, saying differences must be addressed in person, not online. His faction has not commented on the council’s formation.
Jamiat leaders now aim to step up resistance, after years of limited activity against the Taliban. Ahmad Massoud, leader of the National Resistance Front, is said to be aligned with the council.
The announcement came ahead of Afghanistan “Martyrs’ Week” and was presented as a new roadmap to confront Afghanistan’s crisis.
Jamiat-e-Islami, founded in 1967 and inspired by Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, was once one of Afghanistan’s most influential parties. Its leader Burhanuddin Rabbani was killed in a Taliban suicide bombing at his Kabul home in 2011.
Most of the party’s leadership fled the country after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
The United Nations said Monday that Taliban forces have barred Afghan women from entering UN offices in Kabul and several provinces, a move the organisation called a serious obstacle to its work in the country.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told Afghanistan International that “temporary adjustments” had been made to UN operations to maintain safety and continue delivering services to the people of Afghanistan. It said discussions with Taliban officials are under way to resolve the restrictions.
Afghanistan International reported earlier that Taliban security personnel prevented female UN staff from entering the mission’s Kabul office on Sunday.
According to a source, Taliban officials told female employees they were acting on orders from Hibatullah Akhundzada, the group’s supreme leader, who has prohibited women from working outside the home.
Following the move, UNAMA placed its female staff on leave until further notice, the source said.
Taliban security forces barred female United Nations employees from entering the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) office in Kabul on Sunday, according to a source who spoke to Afghanistan International.
The source said the women were told they could not report to work under orders from Hibatullah Akhundzada, the Taliban’s supreme leader.
Afghanistan International sought comment from the UN mission in Kabul, but no response was immediately available.
According to the source, Taliban officials informed female UNAMA staff that they were prohibited from working outside the home. Following the incident, UNAMA placed its female employees on leave until further notice.
Taliban forces also blocked female staff from entering several other UNAMA offices, the source added. The restriction remains in place and could be extended to all UNAMA facilities across Afghanistan.
The United Nations urged the Taliban to lift restrictions on girls’ education as the world marked International Literacy Day, highlighting Afghanistan’s literary heritage and the urgent need to restore access to schooling for women and girls.
In a post on X, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said: “Books are not only a source of knowledge, but also a pathway to lasting prosperity..”
The appeal came as UNESCO reported that at least 272 million children and adolescents worldwide remain out of school. Despite progress in recent decades, the agency said some 739 million young people and adults still lack basic literacy skills. Data shows that 4 in 10 children globally cannot read at a foundational level.
International Literacy Day has been observed annually since 1967 to underscore the importance of education in building more literate, just and peaceful societies. This year’s theme, Promoting Literacy in a Digital Era stressed the role of digital tools in expanding learning opportunities for marginalised groups.
In Afghanistan, an estimated 2.2 million girls have been barred from attending school since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. UNESCO has warned that if restrictions remain, the number could exceed 4 million by 2030.
Despite sustained international pressure, the Taliban has refused to reverse its ban. Beyond the restrictions, a shortage of school buildings, clean water, sanitation facilities and qualified female teachers has left about 4 million Afghan children without education, according to UNICEF.