The United Nations Human Rights Council is set to launch a significant inquiry into human rights abuses in Afghanistan. This crucial step could ultimately pave the way for criminal investigations targeting alleged violations by both the Taliban and international forces, including those from the United States.
Historically, the United States, whose troops were part of a NATO coalition in Afghanistan until 2021, has resisted examinations of its own military conduct by bodies like the International Criminal Court. However, it has previously supported investigations into alleged Taliban misconduct.
Diplomats noted that former President Donald Trump’s administration had withdrawn from the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and remained neutral during discussions surrounding the European Union’s proposal for this investigation.
Despite this, a State Department spokesperson stated late Sunday (October 6, 2025), just prior to the proposal’s unanimous adoption on Monday (October 6, 2025), that ‘Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States government will not tolerate international organizations that attempt to exert unlawful jurisdiction over American troops.’
No Time Limit on the Extensive Probe
The European Union’s motion mandates investigators to meticulously gather evidence, preparing it for potential future court proceedings. This initiative represents one of the most robust forms of UN human rights investigations, comparable to ongoing probes into alleged crimes in regions like Syria and Myanmar.
For many years, both local Afghan and international human rights organizations have advocated tirelessly for such an inquiry. These calls have grown significantly louder as the Taliban has increasingly imposed severe restrictions on women’s rights and freedom of expression.
The Taliban authorities, for their part, maintain that they uphold human rights in accordance with their specific interpretation of Islamic law.
Although the EU’s proposal for the investigation did not explicitly name abuses by international troops, diplomats emphasized its ‘comprehensive’ nature and lack of a time limit, suggesting it could indeed encompass such incidents. The precise parameters of the probe will be established once the investigators are formally appointed.
Inquiries initiated by the 47-member Human Rights Council possess the power to lead to prosecutions for war crimes. While nations like Britain and Australia, which deployed troops to Afghanistan, have conducted their own investigations, actual prosecutions have been infrequent.
Fereshta Abbasi, an Afghanistan researcher with Human Rights Watch, hailed the investigation’s launch as a ‘significant step that could break a decades-long cycle of impunity’ in the region.
This new UN investigation is slated to collaborate with an existing International Criminal Court (ICC) probe. Previously, the ICC had signaled a de-prioritization of alleged crimes by U.S. forces following the sanctions imposed by Mr. Trump in 2020 in response to the ICC’s work in Afghanistan.
China’s delegate, Wang Nian, voiced criticism regarding the proposal’s $9.2 million cost over three years, particularly amidst a broader UN funding crisis, arguing that the investigation was ‘unbalanced.’