Afghanistan Times
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KABUL – Afghanistan’s supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, has declared that the Taliban will not be intimidated by international “threats,” just days after the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor sought an arrest warrant against him over the persecution of women in the country.
“Whether Westerners or Easterners, how could we believe them and not almighty God’s promises! How can we allow ourselves to be affected by their threats!” Akhundzada said in an audio recording of a speech shared with journalists on Tuesday.
The speech was delivered at a graduation ceremony for religious scholars in southern Kandahar province on Monday, according to the provincial governor’s spokesman, Mahmood Azzam.
Akhundzada, who governs the country by decree from Kandahar, has remained largely reclusive, making only a handful of public appearances since taking control of the Taliban. His speeches are typically released as audio recordings from closed events.
In his remarks, he asserted that Taliban members are “Muslims who stand for what is right and cannot be harmed by anybody. If anyone stands against them, from the West or East, nobody can harm them.”
While Akhundzada did not explicitly name any specific countries, institutions, or threats, the speech came shortly after ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan announced he was seeking arrest warrants for both Akhundzada and the Taliban’s chief justice on charges related to the persecution of women.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban have enforced a strict interpretation of Islamic law, drawing widespread international condemnation. Women and girls in Afghanistan have faced sweeping restrictions, with the United Nations describing the policies as “gender apartheid.”
Afghanistan remains the only country where girls and women are barred from education. They have also been ordered to cover their hair and faces, wear all-covering Islamic dress, and are prohibited from entering parks and working in government offices.
The Taliban maintain that they uphold women’s rights under Sharia law. However, many of their decrees are not observed in other Islamic nations and have been criticized by Muslim leaders worldwide.
The ICC’s move to seek an arrest warrant for Akhundzada signals an increasing push by the international community to hold the Taliban leadership accountable for their human rights violations. However, the Taliban have repeatedly dismissed global pressure, insisting on their governance model and rejecting external influence.
