U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan undermine tourism industry in Bamiyan's Band-e-Amir lakes

Photo taken on March 18, 2022 shows the scenery of Band-e-Amir Lake in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

BAMIYAN, Afghanistan, April 9 (Xinhua) -- The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here.

Mohammad Sadat, 25, from the capital city of Kabul, came to enjoy the natural beauty and clean atmosphere in Band-e-Amir lakes. He said economic problem and poverty "have ruined the lives of Afghans and without money you can't come here for fun."

There are few tourists in Band-e-Amir, which is part of Afghanistan's national park situated in the central Bamiyan province, and is comprised of six natural lakes and separated by natural dams made of travertine.

"The business here in the past was hustle-bustle. The people of Bamiyan had restaurants and hotels here to serve the visitors but unfortunately all have almost closed and there is nothing this year," said Mostafa, another visitor from eastern Nangarhar province.

In the wake of the withdrawal of the U.S. troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban's takeover of the country's power in August last year, Washington has frozen some 9 billion U.S. dollars of Afghan assets, which has worsened the war-torn country's already fragile economy.

In a decree issued in February, U.S. President Joe Biden allocated 3.5 billion U.S. dollars from the frozen Afghan assets to the 9/11 victims' families and earmarked another 3.5 billion U.S. dollars as humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan.

The decision, which has further exacerbated Afghanistan's economic woes, has been widely condemned in Afghanistan.

More than 22 million Afghans out of the country's some 35-million population, according to aid agencies, are facing acute food shortages and the war-torn country would face a humanitarian catastrophe if not assisted.

The natural lakes of Band-e-Amir and giant Buddhas statues have made famous the central Bamiyan province worldwide and attracted thousands of tourists from home and abroad.

Although the security situation has been considerably improved in Afghanistan, the economic condition has worsened due to the U.S. economic sanctions imposed on the country.

"I visited Band-e-Amir in the past years and the area was crowded with tourists. But this year, the number is only handful due to poverty although the security situation has improved and the travelers face no security problem on the way to the natural lakes here," Mohammad Nadir, another tourist from Nangarhar province, told Xinhua. 

Photo taken on March 18, 2022 shows the scenery of Band-e-Amir Lake in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Tourists stand by Band-e-Amir Lake in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan, on March 18, 2022. The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 18, 2022 shows the scenery of Band-e-Amir Lake in Bamiyan province, Afghanistan. The picturesque Band-e-Amir was a popular tourist destination in the past but the U.S. sanctions on Afghanistan have ruined people's joy here. (Photo by Saifurahman Safi/Xinhua)