U.S. Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, has joined Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and other committee members in calling for a review of the Biden administration’s vetting process for Afghan nationals. The request comes after a recent terror attack in Washington, D.C., which resulted in two National Guard members being shot.
In their letter to National Security Advisor Marco Rubio, the senators stated: “The horrific terror attack in Washington, D.C. the past week that resulted in the shooting of two brave National Guard members demonstrates that it is past time for the United States to revisit the deficiencies of the Biden administration’s vetting process for Afghan nationals and remedy the resulting egregious security threats such a process created in the United States after the disastrous August 2021 withdrawal. We urge you to take immediate action to prevent future attacks on American servicemen and citizens.”
The senators highlighted findings from several government reports that question how thoroughly Afghan evacuees were screened following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. According to a February 2022 Department of War Office of Inspector General report, not all available data was used during Operation Allies Refuge and Operation Allies Welcome to vet evacuees, including information from an extensive biometric database known as ABIS. This system contains tactical data collected over two decades in Afghanistan.
After comparing evacuee data with ABIS records, at least 50 individuals were identified as having “potentially significant security concerns,” ranging from minor offenses like petty theft on military bases to more serious issues such as fingerprints found on improvised explosive devices.
A separate September 2022 Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General report supported these findings and noted that about 31,000 Afghan evacuees entered the United States before DHS established a task force dedicated to their vetting and resettlement efforts. Congress has also been informed that potentially hundreds of these individuals may have links to terrorism according to investigations by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The letter points out that repeated requests from Congress for further information about these cases have largely gone unanswered by agencies including DoW, NGIC, Defense Intelligence Agency, FBI, and others. Four years after U.S. forces left Afghanistan, there remains uncertainty about whether intelligence or law enforcement agencies are actively monitoring or tracking these individuals.
The senators concluded their letter by asking Rubio to instruct relevant agencies—including DHS and DoW—to address these concerns promptly.
