The U.S. Mission to Afghanistan, known as the Afghanistan Affairs Unit located in Doha, Qatar, has acknowledged recent social media posts and news articles about threats targeting nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in Afghanistan. This includes potential detention of NGO workers and possible shutdowns of NGO operations within the country.
U.S. citizens are reminded that the Travel Advisory for Afghanistan remains at level 4, indicating "Do Not Travel," due to risks such as civil unrest, crime, terrorism, wrongful detention, kidnapping, and limited health facilities. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul suspended its operations in 2021, which significantly limits the U.S. government's ability to provide routine or emergency consular services to American citizens currently in Afghanistan.
Further information can be accessed on the Country Information Page provided by the U.S. government.
For any inquiries concerning U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, contact should be directed to AfghanistanACS@state.gov.
U.S. citizens are advised to take specific actions:
- Enroll in the Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP) to set preferences and continue receiving alerts from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.
- Encourage friends and family traveling or living internationally to enroll in STEP for individual trips or long-term alerts for specific countries.
- Follow the State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs on social media (@travelgov) as well as updates from the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.