- Accused
shooter arrived after U.S. withdrawal. - One
of 76,000 Afghans resettled in U.S. - Incident
involved two National Guard members.
The program, known as Operation Allies Welcome, was
established following the 2021 decision to leave Afghanistan after 20 years of
American engagement and billions of dollars in aid.
Democratic President Joe Biden, who oversaw the pullout
begun by his predecessor, Republican President Donald Trump, stated that the
United States owed it to interpreters and translators, fighters and drivers,
and those opposed to the Taliban to provide them with a safe haven outside of
Afghanistan.
Others, including Trump and many Republicans, said that the
refugees were not properly vetted during a resettlement process that was as
chaotic and badly managed as leaving the country to the Taliban.
“This individual — and so many others — should have
never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and servicemembers deserve far
better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden Administration’s
catastrophic failures,”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said.
The suspected shooter, identified by law enforcement
officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, worked for the CIA
“as a member of a
partner force in Kandahar,”
Ratcliffe said in a statement Thursday. It did
not clarify what Lakanwal accomplished for the American intelligence agency.
The Kandahar region in southern Afghanistan was the Taliban
heartland, and there was severe fighting between Taliban and NATO forces after
the US-led invasion in 2001 in response to the al-Qaida attacks on 9/11. During
the conflict, the CIA relied on Afghan staff for translation, administration,
and front-line fighting alongside its own paramilitary officers.
Little is known about Lakanwal’s four years in the United
States, including why he drove across the nation from his home in Bellingham,
Washington.
Trump also used his message to target Somali refugees who
have settled in Minnesota, claiming they are “ripping apart that
once-great state.”
This administration’s goal is to deport illegal immigrants
while also closing the country to the majority of refugees. Trump stated that
he intends to remove anyone
“who does not belong here or does not add
benefit to our country.”
Mohammad Saboor, a father of seven children, was one of the
Afghans who made it to the United States. He had worked as an electrician and
air conditioning technician for foreign and US forces for 17 years.
What vetting process brought Afghans to the US after the
withdrawal?
Afghans were primarily brought to the US via Operation
Abettors Drink, launched in August 2021post-Taliban preemption, resettling
200,000 expatriates( estimates vary by program phase) on philanthropic parole
for two times, transitioning to shelter or Special Emigrant Visas (SIVs). About
40 good for SIVs due to work with US forces; others entered via expedited
parole amid chaotic Kabul evacuation to Doha and Europe.
Expatriates passedmulti-layered biometric( fingerprints,
prints) and biographic wireworks by
400 labor force from DHS, intelligence, law enforcement, and
counterterrorism agencies against watchlists before the US trip.
Multiple rounds passed pre-departure from Afghanistan/
conveyance countries, upon US appearance at military bases( e.g., Fort Bliss),
also community release with follow- up processing. SIV aspirants like the
suspect entered prioritized checks due to US confederations (e.g., CIA in
Kandahar).
