A woman has been rescued in Afghanistan’s southern Helmand province after allegedly spending 14 years confined inside a home, according to local officials.

The woman was discovered in the Kupka area of Garmser district during a joint security operation based on intelligence information, Helmand governor’s spokesperson Mohammad Qasim Riyaz told Ariana News.

Riyaz said security forces found the woman restrained with chains inside the house.

She was rescued from the property and taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Four people have been arrested in connection with the case, including the woman’s father and three brothers, according to the official.

Local authorities said an investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding the woman’s alleged confinement and the events that led to her being held for so many years.

Officials said that once the investigation is completed, the case will be handed over to the relevant authorities for legal action.

The authorities have not disclosed further details about the woman’s condition or the circumstances of her alleged confinement. However, the woman appears in a video as being extremely frail.

Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice has announced the publication of new regulations governing the Afghanistan Ulema Council in the country’s official gazette.

According to the ministry, the regulations were drafted and issued by the leader of the Islamic Emirate and set out the structure, powers, responsibilities and duties of the council within the country’s Islamic system.

The document comprises a preamble, two chapters, two sections and 22 articles.

Under the regulations, provincial and district Ulema councils will consist of a chairman, deputy chairman, administrative officer and financial officer, with additional members appointed according to need.

Council members must be Islamic scholars or respected community figures regarded as righteous, religious and trustworthy, and must have sufficient knowledge of Islamic jurisprudence and social affairs.

The regulations assign the councils a range of responsibilities, including defending and protecting the Islamic Emirate, promoting public awareness of the importance of the Islamic system and strengthening public support for it.

The councils are also tasked with helping improve the conduct and activities of government officials, strengthening trust between authorities and the public, raising awareness among young people and cooperating with government institutions.

The Ministry of Justice said the regulations have now been formally published in the official gazette.

The Islamic Emirate’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it has summoned Pakistan’s chargé d’affaires in Kabul and handed him a formal protest over the alleged entry of armed and hostile elements across the Durand Line toward Nuristan.

The move follows an operation announced by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense two days earlier in Kamdesh district of Nuristan, in which it said 28 people were killed and 32 others captured.

In its statement, the Defense Ministry said several groups affiliated with Daesh and what it described as “Shar-o-Fasad” elements had crossed into Afghan territory with the support and encouragement of Pakistani militias. It claimed the groups were seeking to carry out acts of subversion and create insecurity.

The ministry also alleged that Pakistani military personnel, Pakistan-affiliated “Arbaki” forces and Daesh elements were involved in coordinating with the groups, but fled the area after Afghan forces launched their operation.

According to the Defense Ministry, some of those involved were former military personnel who served under Afghanistan’s previous government. It alleged that Pakistani intelligence agencies had taken some of them to Pakistan after promising assistance with asylum and employment abroad, before transferring them to military camps along the Durand Line for training and subsequently sending them into Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the individuals involved in the latest incident, including Daesh-affiliated elements, attempted to cross into Afghanistan with what it described as direct support and guidance from Pakistan’s military authorities. Afghan security forces prevented them from entering the country, it said.

The ministry also accused Pakistan of facilitating the recruitment, organization, training and equipping of hostile elements on its territory before directing their deployment across the Durand Line.

It said such actions, in the Islamic Emirate’s view, violate Afghanistan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and run contrary to Islamic, international, humanitarian and good-neighborly principles.

The ministry warned that Pakistan’s military authorities would bear full responsibility for any consequences if such actions continue.

Pakistan has rejected allegations of involvement by its security and intelligence forces in the Nuristan incident, describing the claims as baseless.