Taliban official pledges amnesty for returning Afghans despite US travel ban
Taliban Prime Minister Mohammad Hassan Akhund announced on Saturday that Afghans living abroad, including those who left after the US military withdrawal in 2021, will be granted amnesty if they return to Afghanistan.
Akhund stated, “Afghans who have left the country should return to their homeland … Nobody will harm them,” and called on officials to provide shelter and support for returnees, News.Az reports citing foreign media.
The amnesty offer comes as the US imposes a travel ban on foreign nationals from 12 countries—including Afghanistan—restricting both permanent resettlement and temporary stays.
Akhund criticized the US ban, calling the restrictions “beyond tolerance” and labeling the US as an “oppressor.”
He further appealed to those who had served US forces during the War in Afghanistan, asserting that they would “not face abuse or trouble.” Akhund stated, “[f]or 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.'”
This pledge echoes the 2021 general amnesty announced by the Taliban, which purported to offer protection to former government personnel and those aligned with Western forces. However, UN and Human Rights Watch (HRW) reports indicated persistent concerns about extrajudicial detentions and killings, including of those affiliated with the previous government and Western forces.
In one report, HRW stated that the Taliban instructed former Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) members to register as to receive a letter ensuring safety. HRW explained that the Taliban used these records to “detain and summarily execute or forcibly disappear individuals within days of their registration, leaving their bodies for their relatives or communities to find.”
The Taliban swiftly regained control of Afghanistan in 2021 as the US and NATO armed forces’ withdrawal ended the 20-year War in Afghanistan. The US evacuated over 120,000 people in the process, including allied personnel and at-risk Afghanis, such as women.
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