Taliban imposing horrifying human rights curbs, UN chief

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday said horrifying reports have emerged that the Taliban have severely restricted the rights of Afghan women and girls in areas they have seized. Talking to reporters,  Guterres  sad that  I'm... deeply disturbed by early indications that that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists. "It is particularly horrifying and heartbreaking to see reports of the hard won rights of Afghan girls and women being ripped away," he added. The UN chief warned that "directing attacks against civilians is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and amounts to a war crime."

Afghanistan is spinning out of control. Every day, the conflict is taking a bigger toll on civilians, especially women & children.

I remind all parties of their obligation to protect civilians & I call on the Taliban to immediately end the offensive & return to the peace table.

— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) August 13, 2021

The UN is assessing the security situation in Afghanistan “hour by hour” and transferring some staff members to the capital, Kabul, but is not evacuating anyone from the country, the UN spokesman said on Friday.