The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), in its latest quarterly report, has revealed that Taliban “virtue” agents in Zabul province stopped women from taking morning walks on October 6, 2025, and instructed them not to leave their homes for exercise.
According to UNAMA, the women had gone out specifically for physical activity but were told by Taliban officials that such activities were not permitted and that they should remain indoors.
In the same quarterly report, UNAMA documented the killing of at least 14 former members of Afghanistan’s security forces over the past three months. The mission also recorded a minimum of 28 cases of arbitrary arrest and seven instances of torture and ill-treatment involving former government officials and ex-members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF).
UNAMA stated that those targeted for extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detention largely included individuals who had recently returned to Afghanistan from Iran and Pakistan.
Restrictions on Female UN Staff
The report further highlighted that the Taliban continue to bar female staff from entering United Nations offices across Afghanistan. According to UNAMA, Afghan women have been prohibited from accessing UN premises nationwide since September 7 last year.
Despite these restrictions, female Afghan UN employees continue to work remotely and through alternative arrangements, while international advocacy efforts remain underway to push for the lifting of the ban.
Previously, Afghanistan media quoted sources within the UN office in Kabul who said Taliban affiliates had pursued female UN employees and issued death threats. These sources claimed that male family members were warned to stop their daughters or wives from going to work or face fatal consequences.
Mass Detentions and Abuse
UNAMA also reported that Taliban virtue agents arbitrarily detained at least 520 individuals between October 1 and December 31, 2025. During the same period, the mission documented 50 cases of mistreatment involving both women and men at the hands of Taliban officials.
In a separate finding, the United Nations disclosed that a Taliban court ordered the arrest of a girl under the age of 18 after she refused a forced marriage. According to UNAMA, the girl remains detained in a provincial Taliban prison.
The quarterly report recorded numerous cases of gender-based violence, including forced marriages, in violation of the Taliban’s own decree issued on December 3, 2021, which formally banned the practice.
This comes even as the Taliban’s Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue continues to release statistics claiming progress on women’s rights. The ministry stated that it had “resolved” 806 cases between October 3 and December 31.
These developments echo earlier cases highlighted in our reporting and humanitarian work on disaster management and human rights, including the detention of a young girl who disguised herself as a boy in order to survive and move freely—only to be arrested by the Taliban. Such cases underscore how restrictions on women and girls extend far beyond policy and directly shape daily survival.
Expanding Restrictions on Women
UNAMA reiterated that Taliban virtue agents in Zabul had stopped women from walking outdoors on October 6, once again emphasizing that even basic physical activity is being curtailed.
In Kandahar and Uruzgan, the Taliban have imposed additional restrictions, banning women from accessing medical services without a male guardian. The report noted that women who do not wear a burqa are routinely prevented from entering public spaces, including vehicles, health facilities, and government offices.
According to UNAMA, Taliban officials regularly raid health centers in Kandahar and Uruzgan to ensure that women are not receiving medical treatment without a male relative present. In Uruzgan, drivers have been instructed not to transport women who are unaccompanied by a mahram.
Similarly, virtue officers in Kandahar have ordered shopkeepers not to sell goods to women without a male guardian. Female healthcare workers are also barred from reporting to work unless accompanied by a mahram, further restricting already limited access to medical care.
Civilian Casualties in Border Clashes
UNAMA also reported that at least 70 civilians were killed and 477 others injured during border clashes between Taliban and Pakistani troops in the final three months of 2025.
In its quarterly report released on Sunday, February 8, UNAMA stated that the deadliest period occurred between October 10 and 17, when tensions sharply escalated along the border. During that single week, 47 civilians were killed and 456 injured.
Most of these clashes occurred along Afghanistan’s eastern and southern borders. UNAMA noted that it has been documenting civilian casualties resulting from border conflicts since 2011, adding that the number of civilian victims recorded in recent clashes far exceeds figures from previous years.
