Citizens from five Muslim countries will no longer be able to obtain visas into Kuwait, after reports emerged that the Gulf state issued tight entry restrictions very much similar to the US President Donald Trump’s Muslim ban.
Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, Pakistanis and Afghans will not be able to obtain visit, tourism or trade visas with the news coming a day after the US slapped its own restrictions on seven Muslim-majority countries.
Passport holders from the countries will not be allowed to enter the Gulf state while the blanket ban is in place and have been told not to apply visas.
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.
Pakistan and Afghanistan have all witnessed violence from extremist groups, while Syria and Iraq are embroiled in internal conflicts.
Although mainly peaceful, tension between Iran and the Gulf have increased over the past year with the GCC powers accusing Tehran of attempting to destabilize the region.
Kuwait is concerned about the threat of extremist groups such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group with both militant organizations having a presence in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Gulf state has witnessed a number of militant attacks over the past two years, including the bombing of a Shia mosque in 2015 which left 27 Kuwaits dead.