Representatives of the Taliban, the group currently in power in Afghanistan, have released a controversial video aimed at promoting the country as a tourist destination. The video appeared on the Instagram account @Afghanarabc (Instagram is banned in Russia; it belongs to Meta, which is designated as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation).
In the footage circulating online, armed Taliban fighters stand behind three men with bags over their heads. One of the Afghans removes a bag from one "prisoner," who then flashes a cheerful smile and says: “Welcome to Afghanistan!”
The scene, equal parts unsettling and surreal, has sparked a mixture of fascination and dark humor on social media. Some users reacted enthusiastically: “I dream of visiting this great country—your brother from Morocco,” one comment reads. Another user wrote, “The country I want to visit the most—may Allah bless you.” Others noted, “Most people have no idea how beautiful Afghanistan is.”
The video coincided with the first Russian travel offers to Afghanistan, which appeared on the tourism market in early July. A trip to the country is estimated to cost between 220,000 and 250,000 rubles (roughly $2,500 to $2,800), despite ongoing concerns about safety and stability in the region.
