**ISTANBUL**
Afghanistan may be one of the nations covered in the US State Department's "undertaking a full review of all visa programs" in the second term of President Donald Trump, with reports of a fresh travel ban on the horizon, said a US official familiar with the issue.
Although it was unclear whether final choices on countries and timing had been reached, the US official said a new ban might be implemented as early as next week, CNN reported Friday.
A ban on citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries traveling to the US early in President Donald Trump’s first term in 2017-2021 triggered loud protests and numerous legal challenges.
The State Department “is undertaking a full review of all visa programs” as directed by a presidential executive order and is executing administration priorities, the spokesperson said, declining further comment.
Speaking to CNN, a White House official denied that any final decisions had been made, saying: “Anyone claiming otherwise does not know what they are talking about.”
If Afghanistan is included, the ban could affect tens of thousands of Afghan nationals who worked with the US during the war in Afghanistan.
Many say they were promised settlement in the US if they assisted US forces in the country during the 20-year war, adding that if they try to live in Afghanistan now, their lives and their families’ are in danger as the provisional Taliban government sees them as traitors.
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