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.

Afghanistan’s supreme leader has said the Taliban will not be intimidated by ‘threats’ in a speech given days after the International Criminal Court prosecutor requested a warrant for his arrest over the persecution of women in the country.

Some 200 Taliban supporters rallied in central Afghanistan on Sunday against the International Criminal Court chief prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for two Taliban leaders. The rally followed the announcement by the ICC on Thursday that chief prosecutor Karim Khan was seeking arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani over the persecution of women.

The Afghanistan probe is one of the longest by ICC prosecutors and has been beset by legal and practical delays.

The Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) announced that arrest warrants have been issued for Hibatullah Akhundzada, the leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the Taliban’s chief justice.

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

Supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and Supreme Court chief Abdul Hakim Haqqani accused of crimes against humanity

The requested warrants target Hibatullah Akhundzada, the reclusive Kandahar-based leader of the Taliban, and Abdul Hakim Haqqani, the group’s chief justice.

Afghanistan's supreme leader has said the Taliban will not be intimidated by "threats" in a speech given days after the International Criminal Court prosecutor requested a warrant for his arrest over the persecution of women in the country.

The Taliban has condemned the International Criminal Court's decision to issue arrest warrants for two top officials for persecuting women, calling the accusations groundless. The Afghan Women's Movement welcomed the ICC's action as a historical achievement,

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..."

The Hague-based ICC is mandated to rule on the world’s worst offenses, such as war crimes and crimes against humanity. The court has no police force and relies on its 125 member states to execute its arrest warrants. Taliban officials did not immediately offer any response to the ICC announcement.