Another ban on visas from Muslim majority nations . . . in Kuwait

by WorldTribune Staff, February 3, 2017

Citizens from Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan have been banned from obtaining visas to enter Kuwait.

Kuwait first placed a blanket ban on new visas for Syrians in 2011, but those already in the country were allowed to remain. /AFP/File

In a move that mirrored U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel ban on seven Muslim-majority nations, passport holders from those five countries will not be allowed to enter Kuwait and have been told not to apply for visas, according to a report by Albawaba.com.

Kuwaiti sources told local media that the restrictions were in place due to the “instability” in the five countries and that the ban would be lifted once the security situation improves.

The Gulf state has witnessed a number of terror attacks over the past two years, including the bombing of a Shia mosque in 2015 which left 27 Kuwaitis dead.

Kuwait reportedly issued a ban on all visas for Syrians in 2011, but allowed those inside the country to remain. It made Kuwait the only country in the world to officially bar entry to Syrians, until the Trump administration named Syria as one of seven countries on the temporary ban list.

Dubai security chief Dhahi Khalfan outraged Syrians and other nationalities included in the ban when he publicly backed Trump’s decision.

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