(Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic)

The move effectively suspends the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program designed for Afghans who assisted the US during its 20-year involvement in the South Asian country.

A cable, sent to all US diplomatic posts on Friday, mandates that consular officers are immediately instructed to reject any immigrant or non-immigrant visa applications from Afghan nationals, including those applying for the SIVs.

The sudden policy change follows an incident on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., where an Afghan national, a former member of CIA-backed units, was accused of shooting two US National Guard soldiers. One of the soldiers later died.