KATHMANDU: Nepal has barred its citizens from working in Afghanistan after a suicide bomb attack killed 13 Nepali guards in Kabul this week, an official said on Friday.

The government said the safety of Nepalis working in danger zones was its “major concern” and it would look to repatriate the thousands of citizens already working in Afghanistan, although it gave no time frame.

“The government... has decided to impose a ban on sending workers to Afghanistan,” said Govinda Mani Bhurtel, spokesman for the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

The latest victims were among 14 security guards who were killed on Monday in a Taliban suicide blast targeting their bus as they headed to work at the Canadian embassy in Kabul. A 15th man died in hospital on Wednesday.

Official figures show 3,300 Nepalis are currently working in Afghanistan as security guards, but that does not include those who travel via Gulf countries and the true figure is thought to be higher.

Nepal already bans its citizens from travelling to Syria, Iraq and Libya for work.

But labour rights advocates said such bans did little to prevent Nepalis desperate for work from travelling to such countries.

“The government decision to impose a ban on labour destinations is not a long-term solution,” said Bishnu Lamsal, general secretary of GEFONT (General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions).

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2016