Amu: The US Department of State announced on Saturday that it has immediately paused the issuance of visas to individuals traveling on Afghan passports, citing national security concerns after last week’s shooting of two National Guard members near the White House. Human rights groups and international organizations, including the United Nations, have expressed concern over the sweeping nature of the measures. Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, warned that an isolated incident should not be used to justify punitive action against an entire community. “The act of one individual must not be used to stigmatize or penalize a whole population,” he said in a statement. Click here to read more (external link).