Overview

• Taliban security forces have been posted at UN compounds and field offices in Kabul, Herat and Mazar‑i‑Sharif, barring Afghan women staff from entry, according to UN statements.
• UNHCR closed eight returnee support centres on Sept. 9, suspending cash assistance and interviews for roughly 7,000 people daily because essential tasks cannot be conducted without female staff.
• UN officials say the measures are disrupting the earthquake response and other life‑saving operations, with UNICEF reporting at least 1,172 children among the dead after the 6.0‑magnitude quake and severe aftershocks in eastern provinces.
• UNAMA says the restriction has been extended nationwide, with reports of women staff being blocked from field travel and access to sites assisting returnees from Pakistan and Iran.
• The UN argues the obstruction breaches staff privileges and immunities and is pressing for the immediate lifting of the measures while agencies implement interim adjustments and continue talks with de facto authorities.