RASC News Agency: Leaked Taliban documents indicate that certain elements within the group have secretly cooperated with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in efforts to issue an arrest warrant for Mullah Hibatullah Akhundzada. While the identities and ranks of these individuals remain undisclosed, sources suggest that high-ranking Taliban officials may be involved in this unprecedented move. ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan has accused Mullah Hibatullah and Abdul Hakim Haqqani of crimes against humanity, particularly gender-based violence. In his pursuit of evidence, Khan has reportedly engaged with a diverse array of sources, including women’s rights activists, human rights defenders, Afghanistani political figures, and even members of the Taliban itself.
According to leaked intelligence, certain Taliban insiders have supplied key documents outlining Hibatullah’s alleged atrocities, seemingly in an effort to facilitate his arrest by the ICC. The exact motives and methods of these insiders remain unknown, raising speculation about how they managed to testify or provide classified evidence against their leader. On January 24, Karim Khan confirmed that his office had submitted two formal requests for arrest warrants to the ICC’s Pre-Trial Chamber II. The ICC is expected to deliberate on the case in the coming weeks, with the possibility of an official arrest warrant being issued imminently.
The Taliban, however, have dismissed the ICC’s actions as politically motivated. The group’s foreign ministry has condemned the move, asserting that the ICC should not impose a selective interpretation of human rights while disregarding the religious and national values of other nations.
