Taliban representatives in some parts of Afghanistan have expressed support for educating girls after the Taliban retook the country, Mustapha Ben Messaoud, United Nations Children's Fund's (UNICEF) chief of field operations in Afghanistan, said on Tuesday.

The messages from the Taliban are "more or less the same" but with "small differences," especially in terms of girls' education, Messaoud told reporters during a United Nations press briefing.

"There are areas, parts of the country, where they told us they're waiting for guidance from their leadership, religious and political. In other places they're actually, they said that they want to see girls' education and schools up and running," Messaoud added.

Addressing the ability for female aid workers and female Afghan staff to continue in their roles, Messaoud said the Taliban have given "mixed, measured answers" but that UNICEF is "cautiously optimistic."

At least 11 of UNICEF's 13 field offices in Afghanistan have remained operating since the Taliban took over the country on Sunday, Reuters reported. But Massaoud warned that there were still "great needs" on the ground, with nearly half the population – more than 18 million people, including nearly 10 million children – in need of humanitarian assistance.