Human Rights Watch in a statement on Wednesday called for the release of two ‌UN staffers and six NGO workers in Afghanistan.

HRW said that six male staff working with the Women and Children Legal Research Foundation (WCLRF) had been “forcibly disappeared” from the NGO’s Kabul ​office last month. The NGO has been involved in aid programmes and advocacy on women’s ​and children’s rights, HRW said.

In a separate incident, Human Rights Watch also called ⁠for the release of two Afghan staff members of the UN’s Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), who were ​detained by IEA officials in the western city of Herat on Sunday.

The IEA’s spokesman, ​Zabihullah Mujahid, told Reuters that he was “trying to gather details” about the recent detentions, but had “not received final clarity.”

The UN confirmed the detention of two of its staffers earlier this week. “UNAMA has not been informed of the charges against them ​and has not been permitted to visit them,” Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, said ​in a briefing on Wednesday.

Fereshta Abbasi, Afghanistan Researcher at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement that the detentions ‌of UNAMA ⁠staff threatened the UN’s “ability to deliver lifesaving aid.”

As the UN’s political mission in Afghanistan, UNAMA is involved in human rights monitoring and data gathering. Its reports have frequently been criticised by the IEA government in the past.

Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesperson for the Islamic Emirate, has rejected a report by the United Nations Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning the presence and activities of foreign groups in Afghanistan.

In a message to Ariana News, Mujahid said Afghanistan is not hosting any foreign groups and that the groups named in the report have no connection with Afghanistan.

Regarding the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Mujahid said the group operates in Pakistan, while claiming that al-Qaeda is not present in the region and “does not exist at all” in Afghanistan.

Mujahid also stressed that the East Turkestan Islamic Movement is not permitted to operate in Afghanistan and cannot conduct activities in the country.

Commenting on Daesh, the Islamic Emirate spokesperson said the group is actively fighting against the Islamic Emirate and therefore claims about its presence and activities in Afghanistan are incorrect.

Mujahid further said he believes the allegations are being made by intelligence circles seeking to destabilise the region. He also criticised the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Team for relying on what he described as such information.

The reaction came after; the UN Security Council’s Sanctions Monitoring Team has expressed concern in its report over security threats arising from the activities of militant groups in Afghanistan and the wider region.

Five years after the Islamic Emirate returned to power, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Thursday that improved security has brought some benefits to Afghans but warns that major challenges continue to hinder the country’s long-term stability and international reintegration.

In a statement, UNAMA said the decline in armed conflict has created greater opportunities for recovery, development and regional economic cooperation. It also pointed to the ban on opium poppy cultivation as one of the positive steps taken in recent years.

However, the UN said severe restrictions on women and girls, along with ongoing concerns over terrorism, remain major obstacles to Afghanistan’s progress toward lasting peace and closer relations with the international community.

“The last five years have shown that Afghans deeply value peace and stability after decades of war,” said Georgette Gagnon, UNAMA’s Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Officer-in-Charge.

“But sustainable peace and prosperity require more than just an absence of conflict. Afghanistan’s future depends on building a society in which the rights and potential of all Afghans are realised and institutions are responsive and accountable,” she said.

Since 2021, the United Nations has continued to engage with the de facto authorities while providing humanitarian assistance, supporting basic services and addressing political and human rights issues.

UNAMA said this engagement has helped maintain a degree of stability and provided a possible pathway for Afghanistan’s gradual reintegration into the international community, based on respect for human rights and the inclusion of all Afghans.

The UN mission called on the IEA to lift restrictions on women and girls and allow them to participate fully in education, employment and public life. It also urged greater protection of fundamental rights and freedoms and action to address international concerns over security and terrorism.

UNAMA warned that restrictions on women and girls are imposing serious social and economic costs on Afghanistan and causing both immediate and long-term harm to the population.

The restrictions have also become a major barrier to wider international engagement and investment. UNAMA said limits on civic space, freedom of expression and the work of female humanitarian and UN personnel further reduce Afghanistan’s ability to benefit from international support.

Meanwhile, terrorism-related concerns continue to complicate Afghanistan’s relations with neighbouring countries and the wider international community. Although engagement with regional countries has created some economic opportunities, the UN said broader international cooperation is needed to address risks threatening stability in Afghanistan and the region.

UNAMA urged the international community to maintain principled and practical engagement with Afghanistan and to support the aspirations of its people.

The UN mission said a comprehensive approach focused on inclusion, human rights, security and economic development would be essential for Afghanistan to achieve lasting stability and gradually reintegrate into the international community.