The Afghanistan Freedom Front (AFF) has hailed the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrants for Taliban leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, calling the move an important step toward justice for victims of Taliban abuses.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the armed opposition group said the warrants mark “a significant milestone” but insisted they are insufficient on their own. “All Taliban leaders and commanders involved in repression, killings, discrimination and other crimes against humanity must be brought to justice,” the AFF said.

The group urged the international community to impose tougher sanctions and other punitive measures on the Taliban, warning against what it described as “rewarding terrorism and extremism on the global stage”. It also criticised what it called a “contradictory” approach by foreign governments toward the Taliban, arguing that Afghanistan has become a safe haven for regional and transnational extremist organisations.

“The Taliban’s so-called fight against ISIS has become a lobbying tool rather than a genuine counter-terror effort,” the statement said.

Nearly four years after the Taliban’s return to power, the AFF contended, international attempts to hold the group accountable have yielded “no meaningful progress or results”. The group called for coordinated legal, political and economic pressure to ensure justice for Afghan victims and to prevent further rights violations.