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Afghanistan is enticing Americans to visit the country as tourists with a shocking promotional video shared on Taliban-linked social media accounts.
In the clip, Afghans joked about the country’s reputation for terrorism and encouraged US citizens to consider it as a holiday destination.
It begins with five armed Afghan men standing behind three kneeling and hooded figures in a manner reminiscent of Islamic State hostage videos.
“We have one message for America,” an Afghan says to the camera.
He then pulls the hood from one of the kneeling men, revealing a smiling Caucasian man who gives a thumbs-up and says: “Welcome to Afghanistan!”
The video then shows a man doing pull-ups from the barrel of a destroyed tank, and another swimming in a lake while carrying an assault rifle.
In another segment, an M4 rifle is shown, stamped “Property of US government”.
“Oh, it’s not even on safety,” says someone off camera, triggering laughter from others.
Western visitors are seen dining at a restaurant and wearing traditional Afghan clothes, before exploring the countryside and being warmly greeted by locals.
The video was not officially released by the Taliban, however the group has made efforts to lure visitors and has hosted Western influencers to promote a positive image of the country.
Whitney Wright, an American porn star, travelled to the country in March and documented her trip on Instagram. She was seen visiting tourist sights, wearing traditional dress and posing with a rifle.
Some Afghan women criticised her visit, describing it as “fundamentally hypocritical” of the Taliban, which has banned women from education, most jobs and many public places under its strict interpretation of Islamic law.
Other influencer visitors included Marian Abdi, a US travel video blogger, who was criticised for allegedly glamorising the Taliban regime.
Miles Routledge, a Briton who describes himself as “the last Great British explorer who goes to the most extreme places on earth”, has made multiple trips to the country and was detained by the Taliban for several months in 2023.
Despite the Taliban’s attempt to depict Afghanistan as a safe and welcoming country, the US government continues to advise against all travel to the country, citing a high risk of terrorism, crime, civil unrest and kidnapping.
Watch the PR video below.
The Taliban has released a tourism appeal video aimed at attracting American visitors
Their message to Americans:
“Now that we’ve liberated our homeland from you, you’re welcome to come back as tourists or guests”Would you go? #Afganistan pic.twitter.com/iLRYXFAJjn
— Nabila Jamal (@nabilajamal_) July 9, 2025
