Overview
- Judges at the International Criminal Court formally closed the parts of the Afghanistan investigation that had covered alleged crimes by U.S. troops and ISIS‑K, leaving only a Taliban‑focused probe active.
- The chamber said prosecutors had not shown they could effectively investigate allegations beyond Taliban acts because of restricted access and weak prospects for securing evidence.
- The court’s Office of the Prosecutor announced an appeal against the judges’ decision after the ruling was issued Thursday and publicly released on Friday.
- Unsealed arrest warrants for four senior Taliban leaders over alleged gender persecution remain in effect as a separate, ongoing inquiry into crimes since the Taliban seized power in 2021.
- The move may not satisfy U.S. critics because it does not change the Rome Statute that lets the ICC investigate atrocity crimes on member‑state territory, and the decision comes while the court faces U.S. institutional sanctions.