The International Criminal Court, a U.N. agency, has to approve the warrants. They've been condemned by the Taliban and welcomed by Afghan women and their advocates — with some reservations.

Afghanistan's ruling Taliban on Friday condemned the International Criminal Court's request for arrest warrants against their supreme leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, and his chief justice for alleged persecution of women and girls.

The Taliban claimed the ICC should “not attempt to impose a particular interpretation of human rights on the entire world and ignore the religious and national values of people..."

Prosecutor has sought arrest warrants for Taliban's supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada, Afghan interim Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani - Anadolu Ajansı

An Afghan women’s group yesterday hailed a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to arrest Taliban leaders for their persecution of women. The ICC’s chief prosecutor Karim Khan on Thursday announced that he had requested arrest warrants for two top Taliban officials, including the leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada.

A senior Taliban figure has urged the group’s leader to scrap education bans on Afghan women and girls, saying there is no excuse for them, in a rare public rebuke of government policy. Sher Abbas Stanikzai, political deputy at the Foreign Ministry, made the remarks in a speech on Saturday in southeastern Khost province.

The move comes after the International Criminal Court requested arrested warrants for two Taliban chiefs, including the leader Hibatullah Akhundzada.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor said on Thursday he had applied for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders in Afghanistan including supreme spiritual leader Haibatullah Akhundzada, accusing them of the persecution of women and girls.