ICC prosecutor seeks to resume probe into Afghanistan war crimes

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked for urgent authorization to resume investigations of war crimes committed in Afghanistan.

In a Monday statement, Karim A A Khan said that, after the seizure of power by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he has reached the conclusion that there is "no longer the prospect of genuine and effective domestic investigations" within Afghanistan.

Last year, the ICC allowed an investigation of alleged Afghanistan war crimes by Taliban and Daesh terror group, as well as by Afghan and International forces in the country. The then Afghan government requested that it take over the cases.

However, that government was ousted by the Taliban last month.

Khan says if authorization is granted, his office will prioritize crimes allegedly committed by the Taliban and the Daesh terrorist group, including the recent Islamic State-claimed attack near Kabul's airport, which killed at least 100 civilians.

"The gravity, scale and continuing nature of alleged crimes by the Taliban and the Daesh, which include allegations of indiscriminate attacks on civilians, targeted extrajudicial executions, persecution of women and girls, crimes against children and other crimes affecting the civilian population at large, demand focus and proper resources from my office, if we are to construct credible cases capable of being proved beyond a reasonable doubt in the courtroom," Khan said.

Based in the Hague, in the Netherlands, the ICC was established in 2002 to prosecute alleged atrocities in countries that are not able to bring perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity to justice.