War crimes prosecutors have delayed a decision on whether to launch a full-blown probe into crimes committed in war-torn Afghanistan following "substantial" new information from Kabul, their office said Thursday.
The move comes after Kabul responded to a call by the International Criminal Court's prosecutors asking for more information about possible crimes committed by Taliban, Afghan government and US military forces -- including the CIA -- since the US-led invasion more than 15 years ago.
"The report triggered reaction, notably from the government of Afghanistan, which subsequently submitted substantial information to the (prosecutor's) office earlier this year," the prosecutors said.
"The information requires careful review by the office, which is currently ongoing," they added in an email sent to AFP.
Once the review is completed, ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda "will make a final decision" on whether to ask judges to authorise a full-blown investigation.
Bensouda said in November her office was "concluding its assessment" and that a decision on whether to ask the ICC's judges to open a full-blown probe was "imminent".
She said US forces may have committed war crimes in Afghanistan by torturing prisoners in what may have been a deliberate policy.
She stressed the Taliban militia and the affiliated Haqqani network, Afghan government forces and US troops as well as the CIA all appeared to have carried out war crimes since the Islamic militia was ousted by a US-led invasion in 2001 which followed the September 11 attacks that year.
And Bensouda blamed the Taliban and its allies for the deaths of some 17,000 civilians since 2007 to December 2015 in a brutal insurgency with "numerous attacks" on schools, hospitals and mosques.
However, the prosecutor's office on Thursday emphasised that their review of the new information "will not take longer than is required for a thorough internal assessment."
"The prosecutor is committed to arriving at a final determination without further delay following this requisite process," her office said.
Afghanistan is experiencing a wave of intensified violence, with the United States considering sending more US troops to shore up its presence.
