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US pauses visas for all Afghan passport holders, suspends asylum decisions
The US State Department has announced it has paused issuing visas to anyone travelling on an Afghan passport, citing public safety concerns amid the Trump administration’s intensified immigration crackdown following the attack on two National Guard members.
The decision was announced Friday, alongside a separate move by US immigration authorities to halt all asylum rulings until further notice.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that visa issuance for “ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports” had been paused. The measures follow the naming of Afghan national Rahmanaullah Lakanwal as the suspect in Wednesday’s shooting in Washington, DC, which killed National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom and left Andrew Wolfe critically injured.
Authorities allege Lakanwal ambushed the Guardsmen near the White House. Beckstrom, 20, died Thursday night, while Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. The CIA confirmed this week that Lakanwal previously worked for the agency in Afghanistan before moving to the US under the 2021 “Operation Allies Welcome” programme.
US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said Friday that charges against Lakanwal had been upgraded to first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed.
In a separate announcement, USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said all asylum decisions had been paused to ensure “maximum” vetting. He also revealed he had begun a “full-scale, rigorous re-examination” of every green card issued to individuals from “countries of concern” at President Trump’s direction.
The administration’s latest steps mark a further tightening of US immigration policy. Trump, who labeled the Washington shooting a “terrorist attack”, has repeatedly criticized the Biden-era programmes that enabled Afghan allies to resettle in the United States.
On Thursday, Trump ordered a review of green card applications from 19 “countries of concern” and signaled plans to suspend immigration from what he termed “Third World countries”. He also pledged to deport non-citizens deemed security risks or “non-compatible with Western civilization”.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has imposed several restrictive immigration measures, including setting a refugee admissions cap of just 7,500 for 2026 — the lowest since 1980.
Two people have been killed amid protests against a poppy eradication campaign in northeastern Badakhshan province, local officials said.
Authorities said counter-narcotics forces were deployed on Friday to Atan Jalo area of Argo district to destroy poppy fields. Clashes erupted after a number of farmers and residents reportedly attempted to block the operation.
Officials said a child was killed during Friday’s unrest, while another person died on Saturday as protests and tensions continued in the area.
According to local authorities, demonstrators also temporarily blocked the Kishm–Faizabad highway, disrupting traffic for several hours before it was reopened following coordinated efforts by security officials, religious scholars, and community elders.
Officials blamed “drug traffickers and criminal groups” for inciting the unrest and said security forces have since regained control of the area.
A high-ranking Uzbek delegation comprising government officials and private sector representatives from the Republic of Karakalpakstan arrived in Kabul on Saturday to discuss the expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Afghanistan.
The delegation is headed by Amanbay Orinbayev, Chairman of the Supreme Council of Karakalpakstan.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, the delegation is expected to hold talks with Nooruddin Azizi, the Minister of Industry and Commerce, focusing on strengthening bilateral trade and economic relations.
The ministry said the visiting delegation will also participate in trade connectivity meetings and business-to-business sessions aimed at enhancing commercial cooperation between the two sides.
As part of the visit, the Uzbek delegation is also scheduled to travel to Balkh province, where members will attend additional trade meetings and inaugurate an exhibition showcasing Uzbekistan’s domestic products.
Hamid Karzai, former president of Afghanistan, has expressed concern over recent developments along the Durand Line, saying Pakistan has increased military and economic pressure on villages and residents living near the line.
In a statement, Karzai said the apparent purpose of these pressures is to push residents of Durand Line areas to seek help from Pakistani institutions for resolving security and other local issues.
He added that, amid this situation, some tribal elders from both sides of the Durand Line recently signed documents described as “peace agreements,” which were later officially welcomed by Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
According to Karzai, these developments amount to an effort by Pakistan to legitimize the Durand Line and represent an action against Afghanistan’s national sovereignty.
The former Afghan president also urged the relevant Afghan authorities to provide the public with a clear explanation regarding the recent agreements and developments along the Durand Line.
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