The United Kingdom has advised its citizens against all travel to Afghanistan, citing heightened military tensions between the Taliban and Pakistan and an increasingly unstable security situation.
In an updated travel advisory issued on Monday, the UK Foreign Office warned that violent clashes have occurred in border areas with Pakistan and that the overall security environment in Afghanistan remains volatile. The advisory also said the risk of detention of British nationals in Afghanistan has increased.
London noted that several border crossings in Afghanistan remain closed.
The advisory stated: “If you are a British national and you are detained in Afghanistan, you could face months or years of imprisonment.”
The Foreign Office stressed that its ability to assist British citizens detained in Afghanistan is extremely limited and that it cannot provide essential support inside the country.
It warned that any British nationals who choose to travel to Afghanistan despite the advice should carefully assess the risks, review their destinations and ensure they have appropriate travel insurance.
Relations between the Taliban and Pakistan have sharply deteriorated in recent months, leading to deadly border clashes. The United Nations has previously reported that at least 50 civilians were killed and 453 others wounded in clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani forces between 10 and 17 October.
According to the UN report, most of the casualties resulted from airstrikes and cross-border shelling in Spin Boldak and Kabul.
