Taliban morality police carried out at least 443 arbitrary arrests and detentions across Afghanistan from July through September, according to a new UN report that also documents ill-treatment, restrictions on women and girls, pressure on the media and actions against Shia-affiliated institutions.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said in its latest quarterly human rights report that it also documented 97 incidents of ill-treatment of Afghan women and men by personnel from the Taliban’s Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice during the three-month period.
The arrests and detentions were mainly linked to alleged violations of the Taliban authorities’ hijab requirements for women, trimmed beards or “Western” hairstyles for men, failure to attend congregational prayers and playing or listening to music, UNAMA said.
In Paktika province, two barbers were detained for a month in August for allegedly trimming beards and giving customers “Western” haircuts. In Nangarhar’s Rodat district, Taliban morality police suspended about 100 shops because shopkeepers had failed to attend congregational prayers, according to the report.
UNAMA says the quarterly update, covering July 1 through Sept. 30, is based on monitoring by UNAMA’s Human Rights Service under its UN Security Council mandate.
Women and girls
UNAMA documented more than 50 instances of Taliban morality police arresting, detaining or cautioning women accused of violating hijab requirements during the reporting period. Most of the arrests occurred in Herat, with cases also documented in Kabul and Badakhshan.
In one case, a 13-year-old girl was detained overnight over compliance with the hijab requirement and released the following day after her father collected her.
On July 10 in Herat, morality police detained 10 women who were not wearing chadors. UNAMA said they were held until their guardians and local representatives provided assurances that the women would comply with hijab requirements in the future.
In another case, inspectors briefly detained a father because his 12-year-old daughter was not wearing a burqa. He was released after mediation by bystanders and was instructed to buy his daughter a burqa.
UNAMA also documented cases in which women were denied access to health facilities and markets because they were not accompanied by a mahram, or male guardian.
Two women were prevented from entering a health facility in Parwan province on Aug. 8 because they did not have a mahram, while a woman in Helmand was stopped from entering a market on Aug. 17 for the same reason.
The report also noted that Sept. 7 marked one year since Taliban authorities prevented Afghan women from accessing U.N. premises across the country, including Afghan female U.N. employees.
Former security personnel
UNAMA documented at least 14 arbitrary arrests and detentions and four killings of former members of Afghanistan’s security forces between July and September.
The mission said former government officials and former members of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces who return to Afghanistan remain at risk of human rights violations despite the general amnesty announced by Taliban authorities in August 2021.
In Paktika, a man affiliated with the former government was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on July 9, about three weeks after returning from Iran.
In Khost, a former member of the Khost Protection Force was shot and killed by unidentified gunmen on July 18 while picnicking with his family. UNAMA said he had returned from the United States 10 days earlier.
The Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence also arrested a former Afghan National Police member and outspoken critic of Taliban authorities at Kabul International Airport on July 28 as he returned from abroad. UNAMA said the reason for his arrest was unknown.
Shia-affiliated institutions
UNAMA also documented a series of arrests and closures involving institutions affiliated with Afghanistan’s Shia community during September.
Based on the individual cases detailed in the report, at least 40 people were detained in connection with Shia-affiliated institutions, while at least 10 institutions were closed or had their operating licenses revoked.
On Sept. 5, Taliban Justice Ministry personnel accompanied by security forces arrested 28 male staff members of Khatam Al-Nabiyyin University in Kabul. Four teachers were released the same day and the remaining 24 were released on Sept. 8 and 9.
At least six other people were detained between Sept. 6 and 9 after criticizing or protesting the authorities’ actions involving the university, UNAMA said.
On Sept. 16, the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education revoked the operating licenses of Khatam Al-Nabiyyin University in Kabul and its branch in Ghazni. The ministry said the university had repeatedly violated regulations and failed to take corrective measures despite warnings.
Six staff members of the Shia-affiliated Al Anbiya Madrassa and cultural complex were detained on Sept. 19 and released the same day. Students were evicted and the madrassa was closed.
On Sept. 27, the Taliban Justice Ministry closed another seven establishments primarily serving the Shia community in western Kabul — a medical clinic, two educational institutions, a sports club, two madrasas and a mosque.
UNAMA said the arrests and closures were reportedly carried out because the institutions were occupying land that Taliban authorities claimed to own.
Media suspensions
UNAMA said several Afghan media outlets were suspended during the quarter, sometimes without being clearly informed of the reason. The mission said there is no clear procedure for media organizations to appeal suspensions.
The report documents at least three media outlets suspended between July and September.
The Taliban Ministry of Justice suspended Radio Eslah in Kabul on July 27 because of the station’s name, according to UNAMA. Eslah was also the name of a political group during the former republic.
On Aug. 26, the Taliban’s General Directorate of Intelligence suspended Lapis Media Centre, allegedly because of its affiliation with media outlets based overseas.
Rah-e-Farda TV was suspended on Sept. 6. UNAMA attributed the action generally to Taliban authorities without identifying the agency responsible. The Shia-owned broadcaster had also faced an earlier suspension this year.
Tamadon TV, which was suspended on June 23, remained suspended during the reporting period and continued operating online from abroad.
UNAMA also documented the arrest of a journalist by the General Directorate of Intelligence in Badakhshan on Aug. 5 over his criticism of what the report described as discriminatory treatment of residents of the province. He was released the following day.
Another journalist arrested in July 2025 remained in GDI custody without a court conviction, the report said.
Cross-border incidents
UNAMA recorded 33 civilian casualties — 13 killed and 20 wounded — from cross-border incidents between July and September.
Over the one-year period from Oct. 1, 2025, through Sept. 30, 2026, the mission recorded 512 civilians killed and 1,236 injured in cross-border incidents.
The report details several incidents involving Pakistani military forces.
On Sept. 21, UNAMA said a Pakistani airstrike hit a house in Kunar’s Nurgal district, killing three civilians — a woman, a man and a 16-year-old girl — and wounding four others.
The report also documents two strikes on the night of Sept. 30 into Oct. 1. In Kunar’s Shiltan district, UNAMA said an airstrike by Pakistani military forces struck a house, killing six civilians, including five children, and injuring three others.
In Helmand’s Garmsir district, another airstrike struck residential buildings, killing at least four civilians — two girls, a boy and a woman — and injuring 12 others, according to UNAMA.
Corporal punishment
UNAMA documented judicial corporal punishment against 28 people — 22 men and six women — during the three-month period.
In Jaghuri district of Ghazni on Aug. 4, a Taliban court ordered four men and one woman lashed between 36 and 39 times each after they were convicted of offenses including theft and extramarital relationships.
The punishments were carried out in the presence of Taliban officials, judges and members of the public, while observers were prohibited from taking photographs or videos, UNAMA said.
The report noted that the Taliban Supreme Court stopped publicly announcing corporal punishments on its website and social media accounts on April 22.
New police law
UNAMA also highlighted provisions in a police law published by the Taliban Justice Ministry in August.
The law prohibits demonstrations and sets out circumstances in which police can use force, including weapons and explosives.
One provision states that no one may beat or torture a detainee or accused person “without a judicial order from a competent court.” Another empowers security officials to “correct an accused person” through measures including harsh admonishment, compelling them to repent and, for those accused of serious crimes, threatening them with capital punishment.
The law also defines a crime to include violations arising from acts ordered or prohibited by the Taliban leadership in matters related to security and public order.
UNAMA’s quarterly report presents incidents documented by its Human Rights Service and does not describe its figures as a comprehensive count of all human rights violations across Afghanistan.
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