Overview
- Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard said an estimated 2,000 Afghan nationals admitted after the 2021 withdrawal are tied to or are known or suspected terrorists.
- Gabbard stated the National Counterterrorism Center, Department of Homeland Security and FBI will re‑vet every Afghan individual admitted during the Biden administration.
- A January 2022 Defense Department inspector general report found evacuation‑era vetting was incomplete, including that the NCTC did not use all DoD data before arrivals to the United States.
- Authorities continue a terrorism inquiry into the Washington, D.C., shooting of two National Guard members allegedly by Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal; he faces murder and related charges.
- Gabbard cited NCTC data indicating a broader pool of known or suspected terrorists in the country and said roughly 2,000 of that group were among the post‑withdrawal Afghan entrants.