Taliban Slam Trump’s Travel Ban on Afghans, Call U.S. ‘Oppressor’

Date: 07 June 2025 - 21:34

News ID: ۱۴۰۳۲۹

KABUL (AFP) – The Taliban government on Saturday urged Afghans hoping to emigrate to the United States to instead return to Afghanistan, after Washington tightened entry conditions.
U.S. President Donald Trump this week announced a travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, which his proclamation said lacked “competent” central authorities for processing passports and vetting.
Commenting on the ban on Saturday, Prime Minister Hassan Akhund urged Afghans to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with U.S.-led forces in the two-decade fight against the Taliban insurgency.
“For those who are worried that America has closed its doors to Afghans... I want to tell them, ‘Return to your country, even if you have served the Americans for 20 or 30 years for their ends, and ruined the Islamic system’,” he said in a speech marking the Eid al-Adha holiday, broadcast by state media.
“You will not face abuse or trouble,” he said, making reassurances that the Taliban head Hibatullah Akhundzada had “granted amnesty for all”.
After surging to power in 2021, Taliban authorities announced a general amnesty for Afghans who worked with the Western-backed forces and government. However, the United Nations has recorded reports of extrajudicial killings, detentions and abuses.
In the past four years, the Taliban government has imposed laws and restrictions on women which the UN says amount to “gender apartheid”.
Afghans fled in droves to neighboring countries during decades of conflict, but the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-led troops saw a new wave clamoring to escape Taliban government curbs and fears of reprisal for working with Washington.
The United States has not had a working embassy in Afghanistan since 2021 and Afghans must apply for visas in third countries, principally Pakistan which has recently ramped up campaigns to expel Afghans.
Since Trump returned to the White House in January, Afghans have gradually seen their chances of migrating to the United States or staying there shrink.
Trump administration orders have disrupted refugee pathways and revoked legal protections temporarily shielding Afghans from deportation starting in July.