Taliban intensifies recruitment of children; UN also notes high number of explosives incidents in Afghanistan
Quick Look
- A new United Nations study has revealed that recruitment of children under the age of 18 has intensified in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.
- After returning to power in August 2021, the government had declared a ban on conscripting children, but in the three years from January 2023 to December 2025, 557 juveniles were conscripted, an 81% increase compared to the previous reporting period from 2021 to 2022.
- Additionally, during the same period, 1,128 children were confirmed to have been killed or injured by unexploded ordnance, and it has been pointed out that the return of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is contributing to the spread of the damage.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 and initially issued a proclamation banning the recruitment of children. However, as poverty deepens due to the economic crisis, a United Nations investigation has revealed that recruitment of children, including boys as young as 12, through local leaders and relatives has actually intensified.
[New Delhi Current Affairs] Afghanistan's Taliban Islamist group's security forces are stepping up recruitment of boys under the age of 18 to fight and support them, a new United Nations investigation report has found. After the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, they issued a decree banning the recruitment of children, but it has now become clear that this is going against the grain.
Arrest warrant for Taliban education minister, persecution of women, crimes against humanity - ICC
On September 10, the United Nations released a report on human rights violations against children over the three-year period from January 2023 to December 2025. According to the report, the Taliban recruited 557 boys during this period. This is an 81% increase compared to the two years from 2021 to 2022, which was covered in the previous report, and appears to be on the rise even in a single year.
Boys as young as 12 years old were also conscripted, often with the persuasion of local leaders and relatives. The United Nations analyzes that "poverty caused by the economic crisis" is the cause.
Additionally, over the same three-year period, 1,128 children were confirmed to have been killed or injured by explosives, including unexploded ordnance. Afghanistan has been severely damaged by landmines and unexploded ordnance left behind even before the Taliban returned to power, but the damage has recently increased as Afghan refugees from neighboring Pakistan have been forced to return home and more people have settled in areas where explosives remain.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
UN considers additional sanctions or pressure due to Taliban human rights abuses
Likely · Within months
The Taliban regime attempts to deny or justify recruitment in response to criticism from the international community.
Very likely · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What is the recruitment policy decision-making process within the Taliban?
- The current situation and destination of the conscripted boy are unknown.
- What concrete future measures will be taken by the UN and ICC?
