Human Rights | ICC judges closed the part of the Afghanistan probe that could cover US troops, leaving only Taliban crimes under investigation, AP and Reuters reported

ACW | November 14, 2026 — Judges at the International Criminal Court have closed the part of the court's Afghanistan investigation that could have examined U.S. troops, limiting the probe to Taliban crimes, AP and Reuters reported.

The decision was issued on Thursday, Nov. 12, and made public in court filings on Friday, AP reported. The closed portion covers alleged crimes by U.S. troops and a separate inquiry into the Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) group, according to Reuters.

The judges cited "significant limitations to the Prosecution's ability to conduct its investigations and secure evidence," AP reported. Reuters said the judges found prosecutors had not shown they could investigate other Afghanistan allegations effectively apart from the Taliban case.

The prosecutor's office told both news agencies it has appealed the decision but gave no further details. ACW could not find the full text of the decision on the court's website at the time of publication.

No Taliban response was reported.

Background: ICC judges in 2020 authorized an investigation into alleged crimes since 2002 by Afghan government forces, the Taliban and U.S. troops, AP reported. Earlier this year, judges ordered the case split into two separate probes, and arrest warrants for four Taliban leaders remain in effect, according to Reuters. The United Nations recently described Taliban curbs on women as severe and sweeping (UN says Afghan women face severe, sweeping Taliban curbs).

Why it matters: The ruling leaves the ICC's Afghanistan investigation focused only on Taliban crimes, AP reported; the court last month unsealed arrest warrants for four senior Taliban leaders for the gender persecution of women and girls since 2021, according to AP.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Sources: AP (via ABC News) — International Criminal Court limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban crimes; Reuters (via Defense News) — Judges close part of ICC Afghanistan investigations that could look at US troops

Photo: OSeveno, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0) — the International Criminal Court building in The Hague