US President Trump had mentioned a list of countries being considered for the new rules. — Reuters pic

DAVOS, Jan 22 — US President Donald Trump said his administration was preparing to add a "couple of countries” to the controversial list of states whose citizens are subject to travel bans or severe restrictions on entry to the United States.

"We are adding a couple of countries to it. We have to be safe. Our country has to be safe,” he said at the World Economic Forum in Davos, adding that the names of the new countries would be announced "very shortly”.

The Wall Street Journal reported earlier that the administration planned to add seven countries including Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, and others in Africa and Asia.

It said the other nations being considered for new rules were Belarus, Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Myanmar, Sudan and Tanzania.

The first package of travel bans and restrictions --  targeting mainly Muslim majority countries—were announced shortly after Trump took office in January 2017 and outraged his critics. — AFP