A promise of swift and safe haven turned unsettlingly complex. Following the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Department of Homeland Security, under the previous administration, pledged to resettle Afghan allies within the United States. Now, a chilling revelation has surfaced: the alleged shooter in a recent attack near the White House entered the country through that very program, Operation Allies Welcome.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghan national accused in the shooting, was granted humanitarian parole in 2021, legally permitting his entry. This discovery casts a stark shadow over the initial assurances of thorough vetting. Two West Virginia National Guardsmen remain critically injured after being shot in what authorities are investigating as a possible act of international terrorism.
The evacuation from Afghanistan was a whirlwind. In the months following the U.S. withdrawal, approximately 120,000 people were airlifted out of the country in a massive operation involving nearly 800 aircraft over just seventeen days. The sheer scale of the effort raised immediate concerns about the potential for security lapses.
At the time, officials emphasized a robust screening process, utilizing biometric data both in Afghanistan and at transit locations. However, even then, the former Homeland Security Secretary acknowledged that individuals flagged with “derogatory information” were already being identified during vetting. The number of those flagged remained undisclosed.
Resources were rapidly deployed to manage the influx of evacuees. Hundreds of Customs and Border Patrol and Transportation Security Administration personnel were reassigned, and military bases were repurposed to house and further vet individuals before their entry into the U.S. Despite these measures, questions lingered about the speed and thoroughness of the process.
The shooting has ignited a firestorm of political reaction. A former president sharply criticized the current administration, labeling it a failure and pointing to the Afghan evacuation as evidence of a compromised border. He called for a complete reevaluation of the status of all individuals admitted under the previous administration’s policies.
The current administration initially responded to the attack with expressions of heartbreak and condemnation of violence, but those statements were issued before the shooter’s connection to Operation Allies Welcome became known. The Department of Homeland Security has yet to respond to requests for comment regarding this development.
The investigation continues, focusing on the potential for international terrorism. As authorities piece together the events leading up to the shooting, the case raises profound questions about national security, the challenges of large-scale resettlement efforts, and the delicate balance between compassion and vigilance.
The fate of the injured National Guardsmen hangs in the balance, and the nation grapples with the unsettling reality that a program intended to offer refuge may have inadvertently opened the door to a dangerous threat.
