Close to 10 million land mines and unexploded ammunition pose a danger to all visitors to Afhganistan. Travelers should also be aware that Islamic Sharia Law, enforced in most of the country, prohibits alcohol, video tapes, recorded music, television, and social activities between the sexes. All U.S. personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Kabul were evacuated in 1989, and no other diplomatic mission represents U.S. interests or provides consular services. The current civil war has pitted the Taliban militia, which controls the southern two-thirds of the country, against an alliance of opposition forces in the north. High mountains and desert make for extremes of climate.
Many roads are barely passable.
Public transport and tourism facilities are minimal or nonexistent. A passport and visa are required. Operations at the Afghan Embassy in Washington, D.C., are suspended. In general, the Taliban do not recognize visas issued by Afghan embassies and consulates controlled by their opponents, and vice versa. The Taliban recognize visas issued by Taliban-controlled Afghan embassies and consulates in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.