The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has scheduled a meeting on Afghanistan for next week, which will include a briefing on the situation by Roza Otunbayeva, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA.

Christina Markus Lassen, Denmark’s Permanent Representative to the UN, will chair the meeting.

Lassen said: “Two additional sessions on Afghanistan are scheduled for March: one quarterly meeting and another for consultations on extending UNAMA’s mandate in Afghanistan.”

Lassen added: “The first session, on March 10, will focus on the human rights situation of Afghan women and girls, with civil society activists invited to participate.”

UN agencies have not disclosed details of Otunbayeva’s report, but it is believed to center on human rights, particularly the rights of women and girls.

Germany’s Foreign Minister meanwhile criticized the ongoing restrictions on women and girls in Afghanistan, warning that these measures “will not remain without consequences.”

The UN Settlement Programme, ahead of March 8 (International Women’s Day), emphasized solidarity with Afghan women and girls. The agency stated it would mark the day by reaffirming its “commitment to the rights, participation, and empowerment” of Afghan women.

Stephanie Loos, the agency’s representative in Afghanistan, stated that access to services such as education, healthcare, and clean water has a significant impact on the lives of Afghan women and girls.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has described UNAMA’s work and mission in Afghanistan as neither “effective nor successful.”

The Islamic Emirate’s spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid says acting Minister of Interior Affairs Sirajuddin Haqqani has returned to the country after receiving medical treatment.

Mujahid said Haqqani is currently resting.

Mujahid made these remarks on Wednesday in an interview with Ariana News.

This comes after reports emerged that Sirajuddin Haqqani was in the United Arab Emirates and then in Saudi Arabia.

On the issue of Daesh, Mujahid stated that the group has established a training center in the Mastung district of Pakistan’s Balochistan province. He said the training center is being funded by Islamabad and supported by the country’s military.

He said: “It appears that they [Pakistan] are using the Daesh phenomenon as a tool to advance their own objectives.”

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has thanked US President Donald Trump for acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan’s role and support in counter-terrorism efforts in the region after the arrest of a suspected ISIS/Daesh leader wanted in connection with the 2021 Kabul airport bombing. 

In a post on X on Wednesday, Sharif said Pakistan would continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability.

Sharif said Pakistan Security Forces arrested ISKP’s (Daesh) top tier operational commander Shareefullah. He stated that the suspect is an Afghanistan national. 

“The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in Pakistan-Afghan border region,” he said. 

Sharif’s message followed Trump’s address to Congress where he said the person responsible for killing 13 US service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had been arrested with the help of Pakistan and was now on his way to the US to face justice.

The attack, which took place during the U.S. military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan, killed about 170 Afghan citizens along with the 13 American service members.

In his remarks, Trump thanked the government of Pakistan for its assistance in capturing the “monster.” He also blasted the Biden administration for the “disastrous and incompetent” withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the Swift sword of American justice,” the president said.

CNN named the suspect as Mohammad Sharifullah and said he was a leader of an ISIS (Daesh) branch in Afghanistan and Pakistan.