The Biden administration's hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, despite the President's initial dismissal of a potential Taliban takeover, has resulted in a significant influx of inadequately screened evacuees, some of whom were on terror watchlists, a federal watchdog has discovered.
As reported by the Daily Caller, the Department of Justice's (DOJ) Office of Inspector General released a report on Tuesday revealing that during the military evacuation of Afghanistan under the Biden administration, 55 Afghan evacuees on the terrorist watchlist either reached a U.S. port of entry or were added to the watchlist during their evacuation and resettlement in the country.
The report also noted that the FBI admitted that standard vetting procedures were abandoned amidst the chaotic military withdrawal.
The watchdog report emphasized the U.S. government's responsibility to ensure that those entering the country do not pose a risk to national security or public safety. However, the report also noted that, "according to the FBI, during [Operation Allies Refuge] and [Operation Allies Welcome], the normal processes required to determine whether individuals posed a threat to national security and public safety were overtaken by the need to immediately evacuate and protect the lives of Afghans, increasing the potential that bad actors could try to exploit the expedited evacuation."
The report further revealed that former FBI Director Christopher Wray declined to provide Congress with information about the vetting and screening procedures for Afghans who entered the U.S via Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, as stated in a June 2024 letter by Iowa GOP Sen. Chuck Grassley. The FBI has refrained from commenting on the matter.
The DOJ inspector general's investigation assessed the FBI's coordination with federal partners in supporting Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome, as well as the agency's handling of evacuees on the watchlist. The report concluded that the rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan, which resulted in the death of 13 U.S. service members, led to substandard vetting procedures for Afghan evacuees.
President Biden initiated the full military withdrawal from Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. Despite standing by his decision, he admitted in August 2021 that he was caught off guard by the swift fall of the Afghan government to the Taliban, leading to a disorderly evacuation of thousands of Afghan nationals.
In July 2021, Biden had considered a Taliban takeover of the country highly unlikely. However, the Islamic group's takeover was swift, and in a media interview following the tumultuous U.S. military withdrawal, the president admitted that his administration did not foresee the rapid collapse of the 300,000 Afghan soldiers, trained and equipped by the American government.
The Biden administration launched Operation Allies Refuge, an initiative to assist in the relocation of Afghans eligible for U.S. special immigrant visas, and Operation Allies Welcome, a coordinated effort to facilitate the relocation of "vulnerable" Afghans into the U.S, according to the inspector general. Approximately 90,000 Afghan evacuees entered the U.S. from the beginning of the evacuation to March 2022 and were permitted to stay either through parole or another immigration status.
The inspector general's report revealed that of the 55 Afghan evacuees flagged in the FBI's terrorist screening database, 32 were on a flight bound for the U.S. or at a port of entry at the time of their encounter with U.S. officials, and another 23 were already in the U.S. at the time of their encounter.
Republican critics, who have long warned about the risks of Biden's botched military withdrawal, highlighted the DOJ report. "Ive sounded the alarm about the need to thoroughly vet Afghan evacuee applicants since August 2021," Grassley said in a public statement. "The Biden-Harris administration, my Democrat colleagues in Congress and many in the media were quick to dismiss glaring red flags that a nonpartisan national security analysis now confirms."
Grassley added, "As if it wasnt already obvious, the Biden-Harris administration endangered American lives by allowing suspected terrorists to enter the United States and roam free for years. My oversight of this matter will continue."
Among the Afghan nationals evacuated into the U.S. in 2021 was Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who was arrested by the FBI in October 2024 under suspicion of planning an Election Day attack at the direction of ISIS. This arrest led Grassley and other congressional Republicans to question how vetting procedures allowed him to be released into the U.S.
As of July 2024, 46 of the Afghan evacuees suspected of terrorist affiliation were removed from the watchlist for a "variety of reasons" while nine of the other evacuees remained on the watchlist, according to the watchdog report.
This revelation underscores the potential risks posed by the Biden administration's hasty withdrawal and the subsequent influx of inadequately vetted Afghan evacuees.
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