Afghanistan Times
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KABUL — The United Nations mission in Afghanistan announced today that the Taliban is investigating a series of death threats made against Afghan women employed by UN agencies. Dozens of female staff received threatening messages in May for their work with the international organization.
Since regaining control of Afghanistan in 2021 after the withdrawal of US-led forces, the Taliban have intensified restrictions on women’s rights. These include banning girls from secondary and higher education, prohibiting women from most jobs, and denying them access to public spaces such as parks and gyms.
Despite these severe restrictions, the Taliban have denied any involvement in the death threats. The UN confirmed the Taliban told the organization they were conducting an investigation into the threats. However, an official from the Taliban’s Interior Ministry dismissed the claims altogether, denying even the existence of the threats.
“The ministry has an independent department for this and we have a strategic plan for protection and security, so there is no threat to them in any area, nor can anyone threaten them,” Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani said.
The conflicting statements come amid growing concern for the safety and rights of Afghan women working with international organizations in a country where freedoms have drastically shrunk under Taliban rule.
