A BIZARRE campaign has been launched to lure tourists to terrorist-infested Afghanistan – featuring a sick spoof hostage video.
The slick, professionally produced 50-second promotional film starts with footage of a hooded man surrounded by armed Mujahideen warriors.
The video begins with what initially resembles a heinous execution videoInstagram / @afghanarabc
But when the bag is lifted, a man is smiling with his thumbs-up and says, in an American accent, ‘Welcome to Afghanistan’Instagram / @afghanarabc
Instagram / @afghanarabcAn American ‘tourist’ appears in the video[/caption]
One clip even shows a man waving a gun while swimmingInstagram / @afghanarabc
One of the Afghans announces, “We have one message for Americans,” before pulling off the hood of his US captive, who grins with a thumbs up, “Welcome to Afghanistan.”
The weird promotion then focuses on gunmen in the back of pick-up trucks and frolicking in lakes amid stunning mountain scenery.
Others pose on a tank, place flowers in a gun muzzle and show off rifles grabbed after American forces’ disastrous 2021 retreat from one of the world’s top terror hotspots.
The video includes footage of what appears to be two English-speaking men with American accents.
One first makes fun of a mock execution while the second is seen laughing as he inspects a weapon with US military markings saying, “it’s not even on safety, right?”
Mujahideen fighters, whose weapons are superimposed with the words “fake gun,” go on to show off Afghan cuisine and tuck into a giant melon in a tented camp.
Afghanistan’s brutal Taliban leaders have launched a drive to soften their terrifying image and have not shut down the group behind the tongue-in-cheek video.
The unofficial tourist promo was first posted on X, emblazoned with the Arabic word for Afghanistan, urging viewers, “Watch the powerful message sent by Afghan youth to the United States!”
Its makers have been pumping out more serious messages on social media for two years, headlined: “From the heart of Kabul to be closer to you.”
Previous content put out from the same source on Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, YouTube, and Telegram features apparently genuine Taliban propaganda.
Posts have included interviews with officials suggesting they have access to senior members of the ultra-intolerant Islamist group.
But the latest video poking fun at hostage taking suggests the Islamist group is ready to tap into the growing market for “extreme tourism” from more intrepid Westerners.
An analyst source told The Sun, “The X account showing the video was created on June 23 and would have been shut down by now if the Taliban had disapproved.
“Prior to that video, the same source was promoting tourism to Muslim Arabs, but the latest production seems to be aimed at Westerners.
“It’s not an official tourist video but the people making it seem to be connected to Taliban figures – and clearly have a very dark sense of humour.”
TALIBAN ‘TOURISM’ DRIVE
The Taliban began their drive to make Afghanistan a tourist hotspot in spring 2024, with a tourism and hotel management school opened.
Since then, social media channels have worked to promote the country’s history as a way to lure in holidaymakers.
Last month, Afghanistan’s Deputy Minister of Tourism Qudratullah Jamal said, “The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them.
“Tourism brings many benefits to a country. We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them.
GettyTaliban members paddle in a boat as they and Afghan families enjoy a visit to one of the lakes in Band-e Amir National Park[/caption]
Instagram / @afghanarabcThe video features American holidaymakers as they go on various activities[/caption]
Instagram / @afghanarabcIt comes as no surprise that women weren’t featured in the video[/caption]
“We are optimistic this sector will evolve into a large economy, bringing significant benefits. It plays an important role in strengthening our national economy.”
Nearly a whopping 9,000 foreign tourists visited the country last year alone, while nearly 3,000 visited in the first three months of 2025, Jamal said.
He refused to answer questions about the Taliban’s treatment of women, however.
Jamal added: “Those who respect our laws and traditions have already come and can continue to come.”
Since US forces withdrew in 2022, Afghanistan has been under the boot of the extremist Taliban regime.
In the Taliban-controlled country, women are unable to leave the house without a man, speak in public, or even look through a window while at home.
The Afghanistan government’s strict “virtue and vice” laws force women to stop doing various things in public, like showing their face and bodies, singing or reading aloud, and looking at men they are not related to.
Women in the country are also no longer able to visit national parks or beauty salons, play sports, or even go solo travelling beyond the perimeter of their houses due to sickening morality laws.
Some social media sites like Instagram and TikTok are beginning to show travel guides for Afghanistan, predominantly created by female travel influencers from countries like the UK, Australia, and Hungary.
The Foreign Office warns against all travel to the nation and the heightened risk of detention.
Instagram / @afghanarabcThe Taliban have made desperate efforts to attract tourists[/caption]
Instagram / @afghanarabcOne man even records himself under a waterfall for the bizarre video[/caption]
Instagram / @afghanarabcVarious clips are shown in the video to promote Afghanistan[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
