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Shawn VanDiver, president of AfghanEvac—a volunteer group helping Afghans who assisted U.S. forces—told Newsmax that roughly 200,000 Afghans have arrived in the U.S. since 2021 through refugee and special visa programs. VanDiver insisted the organization’s applicants were properly vetted, though critics note the U.S. had limited record-keeping in Afghanistan during much of the conflict.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe disclosed Thursday that the shooter, identified as Lakanwal, worked with multiple U.S. government agencies, including the CIA, while serving in Afghan security forces in Kandahar.
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliffe told Fox News.
Ratcliffe added, “The individual—and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro identified the wounded soldiers during a Thursday press briefing as Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24. Both remain in critical condition following surgery after being shot in the head with a high-powered handgun.
Pirro noted that the two guardsmen had just been sworn in hours before the attack and had volunteered to serve over the Thanksgiving holiday.
President Trump addressed the nation Wednesday night, expressing outrage and solidarity. “It was a crime against humanity. The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families. The love of our entire country is pouring out for them, and we are lifting them up in our prayers. As we are filled with anguish and grief for those who were shot, we’re also filled with righteous anger and ferocious resolve,” he said in a five-minute speech.
