The US has urged its citizens to rethink their trips to Pakistan and Bangladesh and not to visit Afghanistan, updating its travel advisory for three South Asian countries.
On Monday, for the three nations, the state department released different travel advisories.
“Owing to Covid-19, terrorism and sectarian violence, reconsider travelling to Pakistan,” it said. It also asked its citizens not to travel to Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces due to terrorism and kidnapping.
The advisory also cautioned Americans against travelling to “the immediate vicinity of the Line of Control because of terrorism and armed conflict potential.”
“Do not fly to the border between India and Pakistan. In the region, militant groups are known to operate. On both sides of the border, India and Pakistan maintain a large military presence. Periodically, Indian and Pakistani military forces exchange gunfire and artillery fire across the Control Line (LoC),’ it said.
The State Department asked them to “exercise increased caution” in the country due to violence, terrorism and abduction, urging its citizens to reconsider travelling to Bangladesh because of Covid-19.
“Due to occasional communal violence and other security risks, travel is dangerous to the districts of Khagrachari, Rangamati and Bandarban hill tracts (collectively known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts),” it said in an advisory.
In another warning, because of Covid-19, crime, terrorism, civil unrest, abduction and armed conflict, the state department asked Americans not to travel to Afghanistan.
“Due to critical levels of kidnapping, hostage taking, suicide bombing, extensive military fighting operations, landmines and terrorist and insurgent attacks, including attacks using vehicle-borne, magnetic, or other improvised explosive devices (IEDs), suicide attacks, travel to all areas of Afghanistan is vulnerable,” it said.
