Taliban urges Afghans to ‘come home' after Trump travel ban
The Taliban has urged Afghans hoping to emigrate to the US to return home after Donald Trump banned its citizens from entering the country.
This week, the US president signed a sweeping travel ban targeting citizens from 12 countries, including Afghanistan, to stop 'foreign terrorists'.
Responding to the ban on Saturday, Mohammad Hassan Akhund, the Afghan prime minister, urged citizens to return to their country, saying they would be protected even if they worked with US-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 broadcast by state media.
'Come back to your ancestral land and live in an atmosphere of peace,' he added.
The Taliban returned to power in 2021 after the withdrawal of US and UK troops. It led to a chaotic evacuation effort and forced millions to flee amid fears of reprisal for working with Washington.
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