US downgrades travel advisory for Bangladesh to Level 2

The US on Thursday downgraded its overall travel advisory for Bangladesh from Level 3 to Level 2, reflecting improved security conditions across most of the country.

“The State Department has taken into consideration the stable conditions on the ground and has deemed that Bangladesh is safer for travels,” Sergio Gor, the US special envoy to South and Central Asia and ambassador to India, said following a meeting with Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s foreign minister, in the country’s capital Dhaka.

The move changes the country's status from "reconsider travel" to Level 2, which advises that Americans “exercise increased caution” due to concerns over crime, terrorism, unrest, and kidnapping.

Despite the general downgrade, certain regions of Bangladesh remain at Level 4, with a “do not travel” warning still in effect. These high-risk areas include the Chittagong Hill Tracts, refugee camps near Cox’s Bazar, and regions bordering Myanmar.