United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has told the UN Security Council that 3,687 security incidents were recorded in Afghanistan between 1 February and 30 April, representing a 57 percent increase compared with the same period last year.
The latest report by the secretary-general, finalised on 22 May and recently released, reviews political, security, humanitarian and human rights developments in Afghanistan during the three-month reporting period.
Armed Opposition Claims 18 Attacks
The report states that armed groups opposed to the Taliban claimed responsibility for at least 18 attacks between February and April.
According to the United Nations, the National Resistance Front of Afghanistan, the Afghanistan Freedom Front, the National Mobilisation Front and Afghanistan Green Trend all claimed involvement.
The report says 16 of the attacks were verified and occurred in Badakhshan, Baghlan, Herat, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Kunar, Kunduz, Panjshir and Zabul provinces.
The incidents included rocket attacks, grenade attacks and shootings targeting Taliban checkpoints and security convoys.
However, the UN said the armed opposition had not posed a significant challenge to the Taliban’s territorial control of Afghanistan.
ISKP Retains Operational Capability
Guterres said that although Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) did not claim any major attacks against the Taliban during the reporting period, assessments by the UN sanctions monitoring team indicate that the group has retained its operational and combat capabilities in Afghanistan.
The finding contrasts with recent remarks by Taliban Defence Minister who told an international security conference in Moscow that ISKP had been completely defeated and contained.
More Than 370 Civilian Casualties In Taliban-Pakistan Clashes
According to the report, at least 379 civilians were killed and 473 injured in clashes between the Taliban and Pakistan between 26 January and the end of April.
The UN said most casualties resulted from Pakistani air strikes and cross-border shelling inside Afghanistan.
The deadliest incident during the reporting period was the 16 March attack on the Omid drug rehabilitation centre in Kabul, which, according to updated UN figures, left 269 people dead and 122 injured.
The report also states that Pakistani attacks in Kunar province on 27 April caused 88 civilian casualties, including seven deaths and 81 injuries.
The UN said students and lecturers from Sayed Jamaluddin Afghani University in Asadabad were among those affected.
Killings, Arbitrary Arrests And Torture Continue
Ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power, the secretary-general reported continued killings, arbitrary arrests and torture of former Afghan government officials and security personnel.
According to the report, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) documented five killings, 20 cases of arbitrary arrest and detention, and eight cases of torture or ill-treatment involving former government employees and members of the former security forces between 26 January and 31 March.
Stricter Enforcement Of Hijab Rules
The report says the Taliban appears to be enforcing women’s dress regulations more aggressively in provinces such as Kandahar and Herat.
According to the UN, Taliban officials have in some cases publicly reprimanded and humiliated women while enforcing the group’s dress code.
The report was released as dozens of women were reportedly detained in Herat for allegedly failing to comply with Taliban-imposed hijab requirements.
228 Floggings Documented
UNAMA documented 228 cases of corporal punishment during the reporting period.
According to the figures, 29 women, 196 men and three boys were flogged by Taliban courts.
The individuals had been accused of offences including extramarital relations, running away from home, same-sex relations, gambling and alcohol consumption.
Nearly 300 Grave Violations Against Children
The United Nations verified nearly 300 grave violations against children during the first three months of the year.
According to the report, at least 200 children, including 67 girls, were affected.
The most common violations included the killing and maiming of children, attacks on schools and hospitals, and obstruction of humanitarian assistance.
Taliban Penal Code ‘Legitimises Violence Against Women’
The United Nations said the Taliban’s penal code institutionalises gender discrimination within Afghanistan’s legal framework and contributes to legitimising violence against women.
According to an assessment by UN Women, the code, published in January 2026, primarily defines women as wives rather than as independent legal persons.
The agency said the code places women in a subordinate social position and exposes them to harsher punishments.
Guterres also warned that the code contributes to legitimising violence against women by delegating certain enforcement powers to individuals, including through the use of corporal punishment.
Continued Restrictions On Media
The secretary-general expressed concern over continuing restrictions on media freedom in Afghanistan.
According to the report, on 26 January the Taliban Ministry of Information and Culture announced that the licences of all media-support organisations, except three, would be revoked. Taliban authorities said the organisations were either inactive or operating unprofessionally.
On 28 February, the Taliban suspended the operations of Rah-e-Farda television and radio. Authorities said the suspension was linked to comments made by the outlet’s owner that were viewed as justifying Pakistani military attacks on Afghan civilians.
The report notes that the broadcaster remained suspended throughout the reporting period.
It also refers to the temporary closure of private Khushhal Radio in Ghazni province from 3 to 10 March after a female caller spoke with a male presenter during a programme.
According to the UN, these measures reflect the continuing contraction of media freedoms in Afghanistan.
Humanitarian Situation Worsens
The secretary-general warned that Afghanistan’s humanitarian and economic situation has deteriorated further due to declining international assistance, rising inflation, trade disruptions, large-scale returns of Afghan migrants and climate-related crises.
According to the report, by 30 April the 2026 Afghanistan Humanitarian Response Plan had received only 14% of its required funding.
Of the $1.7 billion required, only $240.9 million had been secured.
21.9 Million People Need Assistance
The report states that around 21.9 million people, equivalent to 45% of Afghanistan’s population, will require humanitarian assistance in 2026.
Priority needs include food assistance, treatment for acute malnutrition, primary healthcare, access to safe drinking water and protection services.
According to the report, 80% of humanitarian organisations are experiencing financial difficulties.
Some 39% have reduced staff salaries, 35% have scaled back field operations and 28% are planning workforce or programme reductions during 2026.
Concern Over Deportations From Tajikistan
The United Nations also expressed concern over reports of a possible increase in the forced return of Afghan refugees from Tajikistan, warning that such measures could have serious protection consequences.
Guterres said that by 1 April, approximately 94,000 people had been displaced by tensions along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The UN also reported an increased risk of gender-based violence in affected areas.
Between 26 March and 16 April, heavy rainfall and flash floods affected 73,300 people across Afghanistan and left more than 31,600 in need of urgent assistance.
The United Nations said around 17.4 million people in Afghanistan are facing acute food insecurity, with the number expected to rise.
The organisation noted that funding shortages have reduced the reach of food assistance programmes.
According to the report, around 4.9 million children under the age of five, as well as pregnant and breastfeeding women, require treatment for acute malnutrition.
The conflict between Afghanistan and Pakistan has entered a dangerous new phase since late February, raising serious concerns about regional stability.
Pakistan has carried out multiple airstrikes in the provinces of Kabul, Kandahar, Paktia, Paktika and Nangarhar, while the Taliban have responded with ground assaults and drone attacks.
The United Nations said 143 people were killed in a Pakistani airstrike on a drug treatment centre in Kabul, although the Taliban put the death toll at as many as 400.
The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan, or UNAMA, reported that from late February to the present, between 75 and 212 Afghan civilians have been killed, with hundreds more wounded.
A key question remains: if civilians are being hit, why is Pakistan not targeting the Taliban’s senior leadership?
What is Pakistan’s Calculated Approach to War?
Based on strategies previously used against leadership figures in Iran, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, and al-Qaida, eliminating leaders in ideologically driven militant groups often leads to the rapid emergence of successors who may be even more radical and harder to contain.
Retired Pakistani General Inam-ul-Haq said Islamabad is not pursuing an all-out war against the Taliban, but is instead applying what he described as “calibrated” pressure. According to him, Pakistan is deliberately avoiding direct strikes on Taliban leaders and is not cutting ties with the ruling authorities. Instead, it is focusing on weapons depots, mid-level commanders and border posts in an effort to keep the Taliban under sustained pressure.
Haq said Pakistan does not want to cross a “red line” that could turn the conflict into a full-scale crisis.
He said one of Islamabad’s concerns is that killing senior Taliban leaders could create a power vacuum in Afghanistan, widen the conflict and further destabilise Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, making both provinces harder to control.
Pakistan’s assessment, he said, is that the Taliban do not have a well-organised replacement leadership, and that the loss of top figures could endanger the wider region. Foreign militant groups now operating under Taliban influence could expand their activities into China, Central Asia and Pakistan itself if the Taliban leadership were removed.
For that reason, one option for Islamabad is to seek co-operation from within the Taliban and among aligned groups.
Haq said Pakistan is also monitoring networks of influence inside the Taliban. Groups such as the Haqqani network are viewed as relatively close, while greater pressure is being applied to other factions that have more limited co-ordination with Pakistan. Most of the areas targeted in Pakistani airstrikes lie outside Haqqani Network’s influence, he said.
Local sources say many Taliban fighters deployed along the Durand Line are from Kandahar and aligned with Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada, with little involvement from the Haqqani network. One reason, they say, is that Hibatullah has appointed many loyalists in districts in south-western Afghanistan to military and government posts.
Haq views this distribution of power within the Taliban as part of an “internal balance” policy that helps preserve the group’s structure.
Several Afghan analysts share a similar assessment, interpreting Pakistan’s decision to spare the Taliban leadership as a deliberate choice.
Military Analysts’ Perspective
Azim Rahimi, a former professor at Kabul University and an expert in military affairs, said targeting the Taliban leadership remains an option for Pakistan, but one that is neither used constantly nor immediately.
“Pakistan will only use this option when there is a ‘need’ and a ‘political and security calculation’,” he said. “At this time, Pakistan does not genuinely seek the fall of the Taliban regime, but is instead applying limited pressure.”
He added that regional experience from past wars in Iraq and Afghanistan shows that toppling a ruling system can create long-term crises.
Why Are TTP Leaders Not Being Targeted?
From February 27 to March 13, Pakistan’s airstrikes in Afghanistan primarily targeted Taliban border posts, brigades, battalions, and arms and ammunition centres.
Retired Pakistani Brigadier Mahmood Shah said the main driver of Pakistan’s conflict with the Taliban is the activity of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. After the Taliban returned to power, he said, attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas increased, including assaults on military bases and police, as well as attempts to seize border posts, deepening Islamabad’s concerns.
He said Pakistan initially tried to negotiate with the Taliban, but turned to airstrikes after those efforts failed.
However, Pakistani Taliban leaders, whose presence Islamabad has used to justify its operations, have not been targeted, or at least no evidence of such strikes has been shared with the media.
Sources in Afghanistan and Pakistan’s tribal areas told Afghanistan International that some TTP leaders returned to their areas of influence in Pakistan at the same time as the attacks in Afghanistan. They also said signs of TTP activity and influence have increased near cities including Peshawar, Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Mardan.
That has raised further questions about the true targets of Pakistan’s airstrikes.
If Pakistani militants were the main target, why were strikes carried out at Bagram Airfield, in Kabul, and against Afghan brigades where there is no known TTP presence and no confirmed bases?
Many analysts believe Islamabad is seeking to destroy American weapons in Afghanistan, a goal they say aligns with joint US-Pakistan interests.
US Weapons In Afghanistan
Official US reports show that from 2004 to 2016, the United States supplied the Afghan National Army and police with 599,690 firearms, including light and heavy weapons. Most were light arms, including 358,530 rifles such as M16s, M4s and sniper rifles.
During the same period, 16,191 support devices were also delivered, including night-vision goggles, communication monitors, small reconnaissance drones such as the ScanEagle, and surveillance balloons. The overwhelming majority were night-vision goggles, totalling 16,035 units.
In aviation, a total of 208 aircraft were delivered to Afghan security forces between 2004 and 2016. They included 110 MI-17 and MD-530 helicopters, 60 transport aircraft, including the C-208, C-128, C-130, T-182, G-222 and AN-32, 20 A-29 attack aircraft and 18 PC-12 reconnaissance planes.
In addition, the US supplied 75,898 vehicles, including Rangers, Humvees, lorries and tanks. Of those, 42,604 were Rangers and 22,174 were Humvees, making them the most widely used. Some of the vehicles later became inoperable because of explosives, suicide attacks or prolonged use.
Over the past five years, Pakistan has repeatedly complained to the UN Security Council about US weapons left behind by Afghan forces and the United States, saying some of them ended up in the hands of TTP fighters.
Taliban Mediation And Relations With Pakistan
The Taliban government has officially acknowledged mediating negotiations twice between Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Pakistan, saying the process had reached 90 percent progress. However, it said changes in Pakistan’s military leadership and the fall of Imran Khan’s government disrupted those efforts.
A significant faction within the Taliban sees Pakistan’s top military leadership as an obstacle to relations, referring to them as the “special circle”. Members of that faction believe the new Pakistani military leadership opposes talks with armed Pakistani groups and instead pushes them towards taking up arms.
Those uncertainties, combined with the fact that neither TTP leaders nor Taliban leaders have been targeted, have fuelled conspiracy theories about the Taliban-Pakistan conflict.
Political analyst Roshan Karwar described the crisis as a “manufactured war”, arguing that external threats can sometimes help strengthen states. He said Pakistani airstrikes on Kabul gave the Taliban an opportunity to build public support. He added that the fact TTP and Taliban leaders have been spared lends weight to the theory of an engineered conflict.
Pakistan’s Recent Approach
Mohammad Fayyaz, a professor at Lahore University, described Pakistan’s foreign policy over the past two years as “co-ordinated and systematic”.
He said Pakistan does not want to trigger a new domestic or regional crisis, and is instead prioritising border security, economic support and avoiding steps that could threaten the survival of the Taliban regime.
He said expanding the war against the Taliban would fuel new waves of radicalisation. In his view, Islamabad is seeking to contain Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, as an immediate threat without challenging the Taliban’s overall hold on power.
Since the conflict began, however, trade routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been closed. The Taliban have shifted their trade focus towards Central Asia and India, while the border between the two countries has been marked by violence and disruption.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the operations are part of Islamabad’s counterterrorism strategy. Analysts, however, say the actual targets remain unclear.
Although the strikes are publicly framed as an effort to contain the TTP threat, TTP leaders have not been targeted in practice, their Taliban supporters have been spared, civilian casualties have mounted, and tens of thousands of people have been displaced on both sides of the Durand Line.
The movement of residents out of the area, along with tightened security measures, could leave the border exposed to new waves of insecurity.
Analysts suggest several possible explanations. One is that Pakistan has not yet finalised its strategy and is still testing pressure tactics. Another is that its real objectives are more complex, and more concealed, than officially stated.