What was once confined to adventure tourism niches has increasingly entered the mainstream. Tour operators and governments alike are cautiously opening doors to regions marked by instability, betting that economic incentives and controlled access can outweigh security concerns.

In recent years, countries such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria long associated with conflict have witnessed a trickle of foreign visitors, often guided by specialized agencies offering tightly managed itineraries.

Industry analysts say the trend is driven partly by a new generation of travelers seeking “untouched” destinations, and partly by lower costs compared to traditional tourist hubs. Social media has further fueled interest, with influencers documenting trips to places once synonymous with danger.

“There is a segment of tourists who want to see the world beyond postcard destinations,” said a Dubai-based travel consultant. “For them, these places represent authenticity.”

For governments emerging from conflict, tourism offers a rare opportunity to generate revenue and rebuild global perception. In Rwanda, once defined by the Rwandan Genocide, high-end eco-tourism centered on mountain gorillas has transformed the country into a premium destination.

Similarly, Colombia has rebranded itself following decades of insurgency, with cities like Medellín shedding their violent past to attract digital nomads and international investors.

Officials argue that controlled tourism can help create jobs, reduce poverty and foster stability though the benefits are often unevenly distributed.

Despite the optimism, the rise of tourism in conflict zones raises serious ethical and safety questions.

Human rights groups warn that such travel can trivialize local suffering or expose visitors and residents to renewed risks. In countries where conflict remains unresolved, the presence of tourists may even strain fragile security environments.

Insurance premiums remain high, and many governments continue to issue travel advisories against visiting such areas. “There is always a line between exploration and exploitation,” said a European security analyst. “Not every destination is ready to be a destination.”

Major global travel platforms, including Airbnb and Booking.com, have adopted cautious policies when listing properties in high-risk regions, often relying on local regulations and risk assessments.

Meanwhile, niche operators emphasize cultural sensitivity, working with local communities to ensure tourism does not exacerbate tensions.

As geopolitical instability persists across multiple regions, the future of tourism in conflict zones remains uncertain. While the industry offers economic hope, it also reflects broader global inequalities where some regions must leverage even their scars to survive.

For now, the question remains whether tourism can genuinely contribute to peace and recovery, or whether it risks becoming another layer in the complex realities of conflict-affected societies.

The Afghan Taliban government said the strike, which hit a facility in the capital late on Monday as patients and staff were praying ahead of the end of Ramadan, also wounded at least 265 people.

The casualty figures have not been independently verified.The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) told Reuters that 143 people were killed and 119 wounded, offering a significantly lower toll than Afghan authorities.

Relatives gathered at the site on Wednesday, combing through lists and debris in search of loved ones who had been undergoing treatment at the centre.

“We came here looking for our patient, he is missing,” said Mazar, 50, who gave only one name.

“We checked the lists, but his name was not in the list of the living. Maybe he is injured or has been killed.”Afghanistan’s interior ministry said funerals for some of those killed would take place later in the day.

Afghan authorities said the strike hit a well-known civilian rehabilitation centre, formerly a NATO military base known as Camp Phoenix that had been converted into a treatment facility about a decade ago.

Pakistan rejected those claims, stating that its forces had “precisely targeted military installations and terrorist support infrastructure,” disputing assertions that civilians were the primary victims.

Independent experts said verifying the exact nature of the target would be difficult without a third-party investigation, given sharply conflicting accounts from both sides.

The strike marks a sharp deterioration in relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan, already strained by cross-border security concerns. The incident comes amid broader regional instability linked to the ongoing U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, further complicating the security landscape.

”Ahmad, a 50-year-old patient undergoing treatment at the facility, said he watched helplessly as fire engulfed the dormitory he shared with 25 others. He was the only one to survive.

“The whole place caught fire. It was like doomsday,” he told Reuters, describing how cries for help echoed through the building as the blaze spread rapidly following the explosions.

The Taliban-led government in Kabul said at least 400 people were killed and around 250 injured in the attack making it one of the deadliest incidents in the Afghan capital in recent months.

Pakistani officials, however, denied targeting any civilian or medical facility, stating that the strikes were aimed at militant infrastructure.

The incident underscores escalating tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have seen periodic flare-ups along their shared border. The latest strike comes during the holy month of Ramadan, a time typically marked by restraint but increasingly overshadowed by violence in the region.

Ahmad said the attack came shortly after evening prayers, when patients had gathered inside their dormitory. Within moments, explosions ripped through the premises,triggering fires that spread uncontrollably.

Trapped inside, many were unable to escape.Mohammad Mian, a radiology worker at the hospital, described the destruction as overwhelming. He said many patients were housed in container-like units across the campus, where survival chances were slim once the bombs struck.

“It was extremely terrifying,” he said. “Those who survived were the ones whose rooms were not destroyed. But where the bombs fell, everyone there was killed.”When Reuters reporters visited the site on Tuesday, they found charred walls, collapsed structures, and debris scattered across the premises.

Personal belongings pillows, shoes, and clothing lay buried under rubble, silent reminders of those who had lived there just hours before.Inside Ahmad’s dormitory, some bunk beds remained upright, their bedding eerily undisturbed.

The ceiling had been blown away, exposing the room to the sky. The contrast between intact objects and total destruction around them highlighted the randomness of survival.Dr. Ahmad Wali Yousafzai, a health officer at the facility, said the hospital housed around 2,000 patients at the time of the strike. He recalled hearing three powerful explosions that sent shockwaves through the building.

“The blasts threw people from one wall to another,” he said. “Then fires started, and there were screams for help from all directions.”Medical staff and volunteers struggled to respond amid the chaos.

With limited personnel and resources, many victims could not be reached in time.“We were too few in number to save all of them,” Yousafzai added.

Emergency responders worked through the night and into the next day. Ambulance driver Haji Fahim said he transported at least eight bodies over several hours to a nearby facility, the Afghan-Japan Hospital.

“Now we have come again,” he said on Tuesday. “There are still bodies under the rubble.”The taliban government condemned the strike and called for international attention, while Islamabad reiterated that its operation targeted what it described as “terrorist support infrastructure.”

The conflicting accounts could not be independently verified.Analysts say the incident risks further destabilizing an already fragile relationship between the two neighbours, where cross-border militancy, refugee flows, and security concerns have long fueled mistrust.

For survivors like Ahmad, however, the geopolitical narratives offer little comfort. Standing amid the ruins, he said the memories of that night the flames, the screams, and the helplessness would stay with him forever.

“I could hear them calling for help,” he said quietly. “But there was nothing I could do.”

The Taliban said at least 400 people were killed and 250 injured in the strike, which it said hit a drug rehabilitation hospital, while Pakistan rejected the claim, saying it targeted military installations and “terrorist support infrastructure.

Pakistan had long been a key backer of the Taliban, supporting its emergence in the 1990s as part of a broader strategy to secure “strategic depth” in its rivalry with India.

Relations initially appeared strong after the Taliban returned to power in 2021, with then-prime minister Imran Khan welcoming the development. However, ties deteriorated as Islamabad accused Kabul of failing to curb militant groups operating from Afghan territory.

Pakistan says leaders and fighters of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan are based in Afghanistan and have intensified attacks inside Pakistan. It also accuses Afghan territory of being used by Baloch insurgents.

Violence linked to these groups has risen steadily since 2022, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, contributing to mounting pressure on Islamabad to act.

The Taliban deny providing safe haven to militants targeting Pakistan and counter that Islamabad harbours fighters linked to Islamic State, Pakistan rejects.

The latest strike follows weeks of intensifying clashes, including Pakistani air and ground operations targeting Taliban positions and infrastructure along the border. Officials said those actions came after attacks by Afghan forces on Pakistani border posts.

Pakistan’s defence minister has described the situation as amounting to an “open war,” reflecting the scale of the confrontation.Earlier attempts to stabilise the situation, including a ceasefire mediated by Turkey, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have failed to hold.

Repeated border clashes, closures and disruptions to trade have further strained ties between the neighbours, signalling a breakdown in what was once a closely aligned relationship.

A Pakistani security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Pakistan conducted the strikes overnight but said the targets were fighters belonging to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), a militant group Islamabad accuses of carrying out attacks inside Pakistan.

Khalil Zadran, spokesman for Kabul police, said the bombardment struck homes in the Afghan capital, leaving four people dead and 15 injured. Women and children were among the victims, he said.

The strikes occurred as hostilities between Afghanistan and Pakistan have intensified along their shared frontier, with both sides accusing each other of escalating violence.

Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said Pakistani strikes also targeted the southern province of Kandahar Province and the eastern provinces of Paktia Province and Paktika Province, all of which lie near the border with Pakistan.

In Kandahar, air strikes hit a fuel depot used by Kam Air near the city’s airport. The company supplies fuel to civilian airlines as well as aircraft operated by the United Nations, according to Afghan officials.

Pakistan has said its operations target militant groups and insists that its military has not killed civilians during the campaign. Casualty figures reported by both sides have been difficult to verify independently.

Tensions between the two neighbours have escalated sharply since late February.According to Afghan authorities, the latest clashes follow an offensive launched by Afghanistan on Feb.

26 along the border in response to earlier Pakistani air strikes targeting the TTP.Pakistan subsequently declared what it described as “open war” against Taliban authorities and carried out strikes in Kabul on Feb. 27.

Cross-border fighting has since intensified, including artillery and mortar exchanges in eastern Afghanistan. Afghan officials said four members of the same family, including two children, were killed in recent shelling in Khost Province.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said that Pakistani military operations between Feb. 26 and March 5 had killed 56 civilians in Afghanistan, including 24 children.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the violence has forced about 115,000 people to leave their homes.Clashes between Afghan and Pakistani forces have also disrupted trade and forced residents near the frontier to flee their communities in recent weeks.

Rubio said in a statement that Washington had designated Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government as a “state sponsor of wrongful detention,” calling on Kabul to free all U.S. citizens currently held there, including Mahmood Habibi and Dennis Coyle.

Rubio accused the Taliban of using detention tactics to extract concessions. “The Taliban continues to use terrorist tactics, kidnapping individuals for ransom or to seek policy concessions,” he said, adding that the United States had concluded it was unsafe for Americans to travel to Afghanistan because of the risk of unjust detention.

Two sources familiar with the matter said Washington could restrict the use of U.S. passports for travel to Afghanistan if the Taliban authorities do not comply with U.S. demands.

Such restrictions currently apply only to travel to North Korea under U.S. regulations.

The United States is also seeking the return of the remains of Paul Overby, who was last seen near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan in 2014, according to the sources.

Reuters was unable to reach Taliban officials for comment on the U.S. designation. The Taliban government has previously denied detaining Habibi, who formerly headed Afghanistan’s civil aviation authority.

The report that the United States was considering such a designation was first reported by CBS News earlier on Monday.

Rubio made a similar determination against Iran on Feb. 27 under an executive order signed by U.S. President Donald Trump in September. He warned that Washington could also restrict travel to Iran over the detention of U.S. citizens, although no such restrictions have been imposed.

The United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran the day after the designation was announced.