Secluded in his stronghold in southern Afghanistan, reclusive Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada is the cornerstone of the movement that has ruled the country unchallenged since reclaiming power in 2021,

The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor says he has requested arrest warrants for two top Afghan Taliban officials over the repression of women.

The requested warrants target Hibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive Kandahar-based leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the group’s chief justice.

The Hague-based ICC is mandated to rule on the world’s worst offenses, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force and relies on its 125 member states to execute its arrest warrants. Taliban officials did not immediately offer any response to the ICC announcement.

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that arrest warrants have been issued for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice.

The chief prosecutor of the U.N.'s International Criminal Court is seeking an arrest warrant for the Taliban chief for suspected crimes against humanity.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor seeks arrest warrants for Taliban leaders Haibatullah Akhundzada and Abdul Hakim Haqqani. They are accused of crimes against humanity due to gender discrimination in Afghanistan.

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province.

Stanikzai voiced his frustration with the sweeping education bans, condemning the restrictions as both unjust and un-Islamic. He issued a direct and public appeal to Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, urging a change in the policy.

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them. In a rare public rebuke of government policy, Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the foreign ministry, made the remarks during a speech in south-eastern Khost province.

The Afghanistan probe is one of the longest by ICC prosecutors and has been beset by legal and practical delays.