International Criminal Court limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 13 Nov, 18:02 · Archive

The International Criminal Court has ended its investigation into possible crimes by U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, limiting the probe to Taliban offences.

The International Criminal Court's judges have ended the part of their Afghanistan investigation that could have involved U.S. military personnel, instead limiting the probe to crimes committed by the Taliban. The ruling, issued Thursday and made public Friday, cites 'significant limitations to the Prosecution's ability to conduct its investigations and secure evidence' but does not elaborate. The court's prosecutor's office has already appealed the decision.

The decision comes as the court and 13 current and former staff members are under sanctions by the Trump administration, which is opposed to any investigation into American citizens or U.S. allies, such as Israel. The United States is not a member of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction. In 2020, judges had authorized an investigation covering offences allegedly committed by Afghan government forces, the Taliban, American troops and U.S. foreign intelligence operatives dating back to 2002.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has threatened to 'dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary'. It is not clear whether the ruling will mitigate Washington's attacks on the court. The ICC also has outstanding arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister over allegations of crimes against humanity in Gaza. Both have rejected the accusations.

How it is being reported

• International Criminal Court limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban crimesJudges at the International Criminal Court have ended the part of the global tribunal’s investigation into Afghanistan that could have involved U.S. military personnel.Clickorlando · 13 Nov, 17:36
• International Criminal Court limits Afghanistan investigation to Taliban crimesJudges at the International Criminal Court have ended the part of the global tribunal’s investigation into Afghanistan that could have involved U.S. military personnel.News4Jax · 13 Nov, 17:36

In this story: International Criminal Court · Afghanistan · Taliban · United States · Marco Rubio · Benjamin Netanyahu · Israel · Gaza

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem · Corrections log