Pakistan’s defence minister has said the country is in “open war” with Afghanistan, after Islamabad launched airstrikes on Kabul as part of a wave of attacks across the country.
“Our patience has now run out,” said Khawaja Muhammad Asif following the attacks.
The strikes came after the Afghan Taliban announced a major offensive against Pakistani military posts near the border on Thursday night.
The latest attacks follow months of clashes between the two neighbouring nations, despite agreeing to a fragile ceasefire in October.
Last year’s negotiations failed to reach a broader agreement for a complete end to hostilities, with both side blaming each other for not engaging seriously with talks.
The Taliban said a “retaliatory operation” had been launched at around 20:00 local time (15:30 GMT) on Thursday.
It said it had captured 19 Pakistani military posts and two bases, adding that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed. The BBC has not been able to verify these claims.
Pakistan quickly retaliated, saying the Taliban had “miscalculated and opened unprovoked fire on multiple locations” across the border in its north-western province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which had been met with an “immediate and effective response” by Islamabad’s security forces.
It then launched a series of bombing raids on Afghanistan in the early hours of Friday morning, striking targets in Kabul, Kandahar and Paktika in response to what they called “unprovoked Afghan attacks”.
All three cities are close to the shared Pakistani-Afghan mountainous border that spans 2,600 km (1,615 miles).
Pakistan’s military spokesman Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said it had hit 22 Afghan military targets and killed more that 200 Taliban fighters. At least 12 Pakistani soldiers had died, he added.
But the Taliban’s spokesman Mujahid said just 13 Taliban fighters had been killed and 22 others injured, while 13 civilians had been injured and an indeterminate number killed.
The BBC has not been able to verify these numbers. During these hostilities, both sides have claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the other while suffering little damage to their own.
In response to the strikes, Zabihullah Mujahid, the Afghan Taliban spokesman, published – then subsequently deleted – a post on X that the group had launched strikes early on Friday on Pakistani military positions in Kandahar and Helmand, two provinces in Afghanistan.
The Afghan Taliban has said it carried out air strikes on several targets within Pakistan, on Friday morning. Sources in the Taliban government told the BBC these were with drones launched from Afghanistan.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Atta Tarar said its military thwarted Afghan drones targeting Swabi, Nowshera and Abbottabad, which is a military garrison city housing the army’s military academy.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country’s forces had “the full capability to crush any aggressive ambitions”, vowing that there would be “no compromise” in defending their “beloved homeland”.
In Afghanistan, Taliban officials on Friday claimed Pakistani rockets hit a refugee camp in Nangarhar – housing Afghan citizens recently arrived from Pakistan – and injured at least nine people. The BBC has not been able to verify this.
Residents and local officials in the Afghan cities hit told BBC Afghan the situation appeared to have calmed down since the attacks, although people on both sides of the border remained on high alert.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has spoken to his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan, the ministry said, and “agreed to stay closely engaged on evolving developments” as they both stressed the “importance of peace and stability”.
Dar, who is in Saudi Arabia for an official visit, also held a similar conversation with the country’s Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud.
Meanwhile, Iran has offered to “facilitate dialogue” between Pakistan and Afghanistan as it urged them to “resolve their differences through good neighbourliness and dialogue”.
UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper also urged the two sides to re-engage in talks, take “immediate steps toward de‑escalation [and] avoid further harm to civilians”.
While a fragile ceasefire between the two countries was agreed in October, negotiations failed to reach a broader agreement for a complete end to hostilities, with both side blaming the other for not engaging seriously with talks.
Pakistan has long accused Afghanistan’s Taliban government of supporting “anti-Pakistan terrorists”, who it blames for carrying out suicide attacks in the country, including at a mosque in the capital recently.
Pakistan’s defense minister early Friday said that his country had run out of “patience” and now considers itself in an “open war” with neighboring Afghanistan after both sides launched strikes following what Islamabad described as an Afghan cross-border attack.In a post on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”Video above: Shiite Muslims take part in a rally to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran “Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments.Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.His remarks came hours after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as in Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast, according to Pakistani officials and Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Pakistan says the strikes were in retaliation for Afghan cross-border attacks.The escalation comes months after Qatar and Turkey mediated a ceasefire between the two sides.Both governments have issued sharply differing casualty claims and said they inflicted heavy losses on the other. The claims could not be independently verified.Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said overnight that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, including some whose bodies were taken into Afghanistan, and that “several others were captured alive.” It said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. The ministry said it destroyed 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases and that the fighting ended around midnight, about four hours after it began Thursday.Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded.Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured. In a post on X, he said at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded. He also said 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred but said additional losses were estimated in strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.In Islamabad, two senior security officials said Afghan forces at some border posts had raised white flags, a gesture typically interpreted as a request to halt firing. The officials said Pakistani forces were continuing what they described as a strong retaliatory response to “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had destroyed several key Taliban posts along the border.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing details or evidence.He said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.Authorities in Pakistan said dozens of Afghan refugees who were waiting to return home from the northwestern Torkham border have been taken back to safer places following the eruption of clashes.Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in Oct. 2023 to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave of their own accord to avoid arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others. Iran also began a crackdown on migrants at around the same time.Since then, millions have streamed across the border into Afghanistan, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and had built lives and created businesses there.Last year alone, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, also contributed to this story.
ISLAMABAD, Islamabad Capital Territory —
Pakistan’s defense minister early Friday said that his country had run out of “patience” and now considers itself in an “open war” with neighboring Afghanistan after both sides launched strikes following what Islamabad described as an Afghan cross-border attack.
In a post on X, Defense Minister Khawaja Mohammad Asif said Pakistan had hoped for peace in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of NATO forces and expected the Taliban to focus on the welfare of the Afghan people and regional stability. Instead, he alleged, the Taliban had turned Afghanistan “into a colony of India,” gathered militants from around the world and begun “exporting terrorism.”
Video above: Shiite Muslims take part in a rally to condemn Israeli strikes on Iran
“Our patience has now run out. Now it is open war between us,” he said. There has been no reaction from Afghan government officials to Asif’s comments.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring India of backing the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army and the Pakistani Taliban, allegations New Delhi denies.
His remarks came hours after Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, as well as in Kandahar in the south and Paktia province in the southeast, according to Pakistani officials and Afghanistan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid. Pakistan says the strikes were in retaliation for Afghan cross-border attacks.
Both governments have issued sharply differing casualty claims and said they inflicted heavy losses on the other. The claims could not be independently verified.
Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry said overnight that 55 Pakistani soldiers had been killed, including some whose bodies were taken into Afghanistan, and that “several others were captured alive.” It said eight Afghan soldiers were killed and 11 wounded. The ministry said it destroyed 19 Pakistani army posts and two bases and that the fighting ended around midnight, about four hours after it began Thursday.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said two Pakistani soldiers were killed and three wounded.
Mosharraf Ali Zaidi, a spokesperson for Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denied that any Pakistani soldiers had been captured. In a post on X, he said at least 133 Afghan fighters were killed and more than 200 wounded. He also said 27 Afghan posts were destroyed and nine fighters captured. He did not specify where the casualties occurred but said additional losses were estimated in strikes on military targets in Kabul, Paktia and Kandahar.
In Islamabad, two senior security officials said Afghan forces at some border posts had raised white flags, a gesture typically interpreted as a request to halt firing. The officials said Pakistani forces were continuing what they described as a strong retaliatory response to “unprovoked aggression” by the Afghan Taliban and had destroyed several key Taliban posts along the border.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Asif also accused the Taliban government of denying Afghans basic human rights, including rights for women that he said are guaranteed under Islam, without providing details or evidence.
He said Pakistan had tried to maintain stability both directly and through friendly countries. “Today, when attempts were made to target Pakistan with aggression, by the grace of God, our armed forces are giving a decisive response,” he said.
Authorities in Pakistan said dozens of Afghan refugees who were waiting to return home from the northwestern Torkham border have been taken back to safer places following the eruption of clashes.
Pakistan launched a sweeping crackdown in Oct. 2023 to expel migrants without documents, urging those in the country to leave of their own accord to avoid arrest and forcible deportation and forcibly expelling others. Iran also began a crackdown on migrants at around the same time.
Since then, millions have streamed across the border into Afghanistan, including people who were born in Pakistan decades ago and had built lives and created businesses there.
Last year alone, 2.9 million people returned to Afghanistan, the U.N. refugee agency has said, with nearly 80,000 having returned so far this year.
Afghan reported from Kabul, Afghanistan. Associated Press writers Riaz Khan and Rasool Dawar in Peshawar, Pakistan, Eduardo Castillo in Beijing and Elena Becatoros in Athens, Greece, also contributed to this story.
COPENHAGEN, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Hundreds of Danes gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen on Saturday in support of veterans who said they had been insulted by President Donald Trump’s comment that European allies had kept “off the front lines” in the Afghanistan war.
Denmark, with a population less than 2% the size of the United States, was one of the major combat allies in the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, losing 44 service members killed, a per capita death toll on par with that of the Americans themselves.
Trump had already antagonised Danes by demanding the annexation of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of the Danish kingdom, when he made the remarks last week questioning the role of NATO allies during the conflict.
The remarks sparked widespread backlash from Europeans, with Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer calling them “insulting and frankly appalling”. Trump subsequently singled out British troops for praise, but stopped short of apologising or addressing the role of European troops more broadly.
“Behind all these flags, there’s a guy, there’s a soldier, there’s a young man,” said retired Danish Lieutenant-Colonel Niels Christian Koefoed, who served in Afghanistan, as demonstrators planted Danish flags embroidered with the names of the deceased outside the U.S. Embassy.
The protesters, many wearing medals received for their NATO service, marched to the embassy, where the names of Danish soldiers killed in Afghanistan and Iraq were read aloud. The event concluded with a moment of silence.
“I lost a very close friend and colleague of mine,” said Afghanistan veteran Jesper Larsen. “So I was hurt by what Mr Trump said, and I think he owes all my combat friends an apology.”
(Writing by Jacob Gronholt-PedersenEditing by Peter Graff)
Monday marks one year since Dennis Coyle, a 64-year-old academic from Colorado, was taken by force from his Kabul apartment by the Taliban. His abduction came just six days after another American, Ryan Corbett, was released at the start of President Trump’s second term.
Coyle, who spent nearly two decades in Afghanistan conducting language research, is being held by the Taliban General Directorate of Intelligence in near-solitary confinement with no charges filed, according to his family. Coyle’s capture so soon after Corbett’s release illustrates the ongoing risks faced by Americans in Afghanistan, even those with long-standing legal status and deep ties to local communities.
Undated photo of Dennis Coyle, an American who is has been detained in Afghanistan by the Taliban since Jan. 26, 2025.
Family of Dennis Coyle
“Dennis is a gentle, soft-spoken man who always listens deeply to others, often over a comforting cup of hot green tea, embodying the Afghan cultural emphasis of hospitality and respectful presence,” Molly Long, one of Coyle’s sisters, told CBS News. “In his nearly two decades in Afghanistan, Dennis faithfully honored the Afghan cultural values of hospitality and kindness.”
Coyle’s mother, Donna, 83, and his three sisters, Molly, Amy and Patti, have said the isolation has been crushing. He has missed births, family celebrations, and everyday moments. According to the family, Coyle is confined to a basement room, where he must ask permission to use the bathroom.
“This past year has been incredibly challenging for our family, as we’ve become entangled in the abhorrent practice of hostage diplomacy amid my brother’s wrongful detainment by the Taliban since January 27, 2025,” Long said. “We are deeply grateful for the broad bipartisan support we’ve received for President Trump to wield the formidable strength of the United States — as he has done so effectively in securing the release of over 90 hostages in Gaza, Venezuela, and around the world — to bring our brother home.”
“Our family is thankful and comforted that the president has personally committed to addressing this matter and taking a strong position on it, and we look forward to seeing Dennis again soon,” Long said.
Two Taliban officials insist Coyle is in good health and his “rights as a prisoner are protected.” They also claim formal court proceedings in his case would begin “soon.”
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview in which Coyle’s case was raised last week, President Trump said he would “take a very strong position on it,” without elaborating further.
Undated photo of American Dennis Coyle with his sisters. Coyle has been detained by the Taliban since Jan. 26, 2025.
Photo provided by Dennis Coyle’s family
Last June, the U.S. government officially designated Coyle as wrongfully detained under the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act, a status that unlocks select government tools and elevates the priority of efforts to secure his release.
“The Taliban should immediately release Dennis Coyle and all Americans detained in Afghanistan and end its practice of hostage diplomacy,” the State Department told CBS News in a statement. “We remind all Americans — do not travel to Afghanistan. The Taliban has detained Americans for years and the U.S. Government cannot guarantee your safety.”
The United States does not recognize the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government and lacks a diplomatic presence in the country, complicating release negotiations that are often conducted by Qatar as an intermediary on behalf of the U.S.
A Qatari official declined to comment on any involvement in mediating Coyle’s case.
Acknowledging Coyle’s detention, Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told CBS News, “Negotiations have indeed taken place and are ongoing; however, both sides have not yet reached a final conclusion.”
“The Afghan government remains committed to what has been discussed with the United States. It should also be noted that Afghans have been wrongly detained by the United States and continue to be held there. Their fate, as well as the suffering of their families, is similar to that experienced by others in detention.”
“These talks should lead to concrete results and a final conclusion, ensuring that prisoners from both sides are released,” Mujahid said.
The Biden administration held negotiations with the Taliban to swap Americans detained in Afghanistan for Muhammad Rahim al Afghani, a Guantanamo Bay detainee alleged to have been an associate of Osama bin Laden, but the talks ultimately fell through. U.S. officials proposed releasing Rahim in exchange for George Glezmann, Ryan Corbett and Afghan-American Mahmoud Habibi, who was abducted in 2022, while the Taliban countered by seeking Rahim and two others while denying it held Habibi.
With the help of Qatari negotiators, Corbett and another American, William McKenty, were released last January in exchange for a Taliban figure who had been imprisoned for life on drug trafficking charges. Glezmann and another American, Faye Hall, were released in March, followed by a fifth American, Amir Amiri, who was freed last September.
Another senior Taliban official who spoke with CBS News on condition of anonymity referred to Rahim and claimed the U.S. offered a timeframe of three to six months for releasing Rahim. “When we released U.S. citizens last time, the U.S. committed to releasing the last Afghan detainee from Guantanamo. We have already made many concessions. That is enough.”
In addition to Coyle, at least one other American — a former U.S. army soldier whose purpose for traveling to Afghanistan is unclear — is believed to be currently held by the Taliban.
The State Department has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to Habibi’s return.
“We are not aware of Habibi’s current status and we [have] not arrested him,” the second senior Taliban official told CBS News.
During the first Trump administration, the U.S. took steps to normalize relations with the Taliban, including troop withdrawal agreements and increased diplomatic contacts. Last September, President Trump expressed interest in regaining access to Bagram Air Base, underscoring a desire to maintain strategic leverage in Afghanistan, while Taliban officials have signaled interest in deeper engagement with the U.S.
That engagement has stalled to an extent as the U.S. has implemented sweeping restrictions that include suspending visa issuance and entry for Afghan nationals under recent national security proclamations, tightening vetting, and pausing processing of virtually all Afghan immigration and asylum applications. The moves have significantly reduced legal pathways for Afghans seeking entry or resettlement in the U.S.
The domestic policy debate intensified following a November 2025 shooting in Washington, D.C., in which an Afghan national evacuated to the U.S. after the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan allegedly killed a National Guardsman and wounded another. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, previously served for several years in Afghanistan’s elite “Zero Units,” paramilitary forces that operated under CIA direction.
Still, the Taliban and the United States remain in contact, Taliban sources said, noting former U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad visited Kabul earlier this month. White House counterterrorism advisor Seb Gorka and special envoy for hostage response Adam Boehler traveled to Afghanistan to broker Amiri’s release in September.
“We are very clear that we will not offer any further goodwill gestures,” one of the senior Taliban officials told CBS News.
Last September, the Trump administration created the State Sponsor of Wrongful Detention designation to target countries or groups that hold Americans without legal justification. Modeled after the state sponsors of terrorism designation, the measure would give the State Department authority to impose sanctions, export controls and travel restrictions on nationals of designated countries that detain Americans for political leverage, and to restrict where U.S. passports may be used. To date, no countries have been designated.
Coyle’s family has launched FreeDennisCoyle.com to coordinate advocacy and share updates.
London — European military veterans, families of the fallen, and politicians have voiced outrage after President Trump claimed the U.S. had “never needed” its NATO allies, and that allied troops had stayed “a little off the front lines” during the 20-year war in Afghanistan.
“The only time NATO has ever enacted Article 5 was after the 9-11 terrorist attacks on the United States, and the world rallied to the support of the U.S.,” Alistair Carns, the U.K. government’s Minister of the Armed Forces and a veteran who served five tours in Afghanistan alongside American troops, said in a video posted Friday on social media. “We shed blood, sweat and tears together, and not everybody came home. These are bonds, I think, forged in fire, protecting U.S. or shared interests, but actually protecting democracy overall.”
More than 2,200 American troops were killed in Afghanistan, according to the Pentagon. The Reuters news agency says 457 British military personnel, 150 Canadians and 90 French troops died alongside them. Denmark lost 44 troops in Afghanistan — in per capita terms, about the same death rate as that of the United States.
People react as hearses carrying the bodies of eight British soldiers killed in Afghanistan pass mourners lining the street in Wootton Bassett, England, July 14, 2009. Two of the troops were just 18-years-old when they were killed in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where British and U.S. forces were involved in a major operation to recapture territory from Taliban militants.
Matt Cardy/Getty
“There are two great sayings worth remembering,” Carns said in his video responding to Mr. Trump’s remarks. “Number one: ‘There’s only one worse thing than working with allies. That is working without them.’ And when you do, always remember: ‘Never above, never below, always side-by-side.”
A spokesperson for U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday that Mr. Trump, “was wrong to diminish the role of NATO troops” in Afghanistan.
Later Friday, Starmer called the remarks “insulting and frankly appalling.”
“We expect an apology for this statement,” Roman Polko, a retired Polish general and former special forces commander who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, told the Reuters news agency.
Mr. Trump has “crossed a red line,” he said. “We paid with blood for this alliance. We truly sacrificed our own lives.”
Lucy Aldridge, the mother of the youngest British soldier killed in Afghanistan, told the BBC she was “deeply disgusted” by Mr. Trump’s comments. Her son William Aldridge was only 18 years old when he was killed in a 2009 bomb blast, while trying to save fellow troops.
The Bredenbury War Memorial, in Herefordshire, England, is seen after the name of Rifleman William Aldridge, who was killed at the age of 18, fighting in Afghanistan in 2009, was added.
David Jones/PA Images/Getty
“Families of those who were lost to that conflict live the trauma every day. I’m not just deeply offended, I’m actually deeply disgusted,” Aldridge said. “This isn’t just misspeaking, he has deeply offended, I can imagine, every NATO member who sent troops to fight in Afghanistan and certainly the families of those who never came home.”
The former head of the British Army, Lord Richard Dannatt, called Mr. Trump’s comments, “outrageous.”
“Well frankly, one was dumbfounded, because they’re [Mr. Trump’s comments] so factually incorrect. Absolutely disrespectful to our nation, to our armed forces and to the families of the 457 British service men and women who lost their lives in Afghanistan,” Dannatt told the BBC.
“The comments that he made … are just totally disrespectful, wrong and outrageous. It does make you wonder whether he is actually fit for the job that he apparently is doing,” Dannatt added.
“We Europeans must do more, and if there’s anything positive that Donald Trump has done in his assorted ramblings over the last year, it’s actually to make that point,” the former U.K. army chief said. “European governments must really listen up, stand up now and find the cash that’s needed to increase our military capability, not because we want to fight a war, but we need to deter further aggression.”
CBS News asked the White House on Friday about Mr. Trump’s remarks on the role America’s NATO allies played in the war in Afghanistan, and the criticism directed at him.
Deputy press secretary Anna Kelly replied with the following statement: “President Trump is right — America’s contributions to NATO dwarf that of other countries, and his success in delivering a five percent spending pledge from NATO allies is helping Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense. The United States is the only NATO partner who can protect Greenland, and the President is advancing NATO interests in doing so.”
KABUL, Jan 20 (Reuters) – In the dull glow of a single bulb lighting their tent on the outskirts of Kabul, Samiullah and his wife Bibi Rehana sit down to dry bread and tea, their only meal of the day, accompanied by their five children and three-month-old grandchild.
“We have reached a point where we are content with death,” said 55-year-old Samiullah, whose family, including two older sons aged 18 and 20 and their wives, is among the millions deported by neighbouring Iran and Pakistan in the past year.
“Day by day, things are getting worse,” he added, after their return to a war-torn nation where the United Nations’ World Food Programme estimates 17 million battle acute hunger after massive cuts in international aid.
“Whatever happens to us has happened, but at least our children’s lives should be better.”
He was one of the returned Afghans speaking before protests in Iran sparked a massive crackdown by the clerical establishment, killing more than 2,000 in ensuing violence.
Samiullah said his family went virtually overnight from its modest home in Iran to their makeshift tent, partially propped up by rocks and rubble, after a raid by Iranian authorities led to their arrests and then deportation.
They salvaged a few belongings but were not able to carry out all their savings, which would have carried them through the winter, Samiullah added.
Reuters was unable to reach authorities in Iran for comment.
“Migrants who are newly returning to the country receive assistance as much as possible,” said Afghan administration spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, in areas from transport to housing, healthcare and food.
It was impossible to eradicate poverty quickly in a country that suffered 40 years of conflict and the loss of all its revenue and resources, he added in a statement, despite an extensive rebuilding effort.
“Economic programmes take time and do not have an immediate impact on people’s lives.”
The WFP says Iran and Pakistan have expelled more than 2.5 million Afghans in massive repatriation programs.
Tehran ramped up deportations last year amid a flurry of accusations that they were spying for Israel. Authorities blamed the expulsions on concerns about security and resources.
Islamabad accelerated deportations amid accusations that the Taliban was harbouring militants responsible for cross-border attacks on Pakistani soil, allegations Afghanistan has denied.
As winter spreads across Afghanistan’s arid landscape, work opportunities have dried up, while the wave of returning Afghans has swelled the population by a tenth, said John Aylieff, the WFP’s country director.
“Many of these Afghans were working in Iran and Pakistan and they were sending back remittances,” he told Reuters, adding that 3 million more people now face acute hunger. “Those remittances were a lifeline for Afghanistan.”
Cuts to global programmes since U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House have sapped the resources of organisations such as the WFP, while other donor countries have also scaled back, putting millions at risk worldwide.
“Last year was the biggest malnutrition surge ever recorded in Afghanistan and sadly the prediction is that it’s going to get worse,” added Aylieff, estimating that 200,000 more children would suffer acute malnourishment in 2026.
At the WFP’s aid distribution site in Bamiyan, about 180 km (111 miles) from Kabul, the capital, are stacks of rice bags and jugs of palm oil, while wheelbarrows trundle in more food, but it is still too little for the long queues of people.
“I am forced to manage the winter with these supplies; sometimes we eat, sometimes we don’t,” said Zahra Ahmadi, 50, a widowed mother of eight daughters, as she received aid for the first time.
‘LIFE NEVER REMAINS THE SAME’
At the Qasaba Clinic in the capital, mothers soothed their children during the wait for medicine and supplements.
“Compared to the time when there were no migrants, the number of our patients has now doubled,” said Dr. Rabia Rahimi Yadgari.
The clinic treats about 30 cases of malnutrition each day but the supplements are not sufficient to sustain the families, who previously relied on WFP aid and hospital support, she said.
Laila, 30, said her son, Abdul Rahman, showed signs of recovery after taking the supplements.
“But after some time, he loses the weight again,” she said.
After the Taliban takeover, she said, “My husband lost his (government) job, and gradually our economic situation collapsed. Life never remains the same.”
The United States led a hasty withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan in July 2021, after 20 years of war against the Taliban, opening the doors for the Islamists to take control of Kabul.
As dusk gathers and the temperature falls, Samiullah brings in firewood and Bibi Rehama lights a stove for warmth.
“At night, when it gets very cold, my children say, ‘Father, I’m cold, I’m freezing.’ I hold them in my arms and say, ‘It’s OK.’ What choice do we have?” Samiullah said.
“(When) I worked in Iran, at least I could provide a full meal. Here, there is neither work nor livelihood.”
(Reporting by Mohammad Ynunus Yawar and Sayed Hassib; Writing by Saad Sayeed; Editing by Clarence Fernandez)
CHICAGO — Barely half an hour had passed since the flight landed at O’Hare International Airport, and the Army combat veteran’s palms were already sweating.
Spencer Sullivan, 38, situated himself at the front of a crowd of people waiting near the exit for international arrivals. He knew it could be hours before his friend got through customs.
Still, he said, “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment. I don’t want to miss it.”
It had been just over 13 years since Sullivan, who now works in corporate development, first began helping his former interpreter in Afghanistan petition for a visa to live in the U.S.
The process had been full of big hopes and bigger letdowns. Then, after they finally secured the visa in September, an Afghan immigrant was accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington.
In the politicized aftermath, Sullivan wondered: Would his friend get in?
Abdulhaq Sodais, left, and Spencer Sullivan have breakfast at a hotel in Skokie, Ill., a day after Sodais’ arrival in the U.S.
After the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, teenage Abdulhaq Sodais enrolled in English classes with the goal of becoming an interpreter for coalition forces. Nearly a decade later in 2010, employment records show he was contracted by Mission Essential, one of the largest companies that supplied interpreters in Afghanistan to Western forces.
Sodais, 33, and Sullivan, then a platoon leader, met two years later at a military base in the remote Zabul Province.
Together they would go on intel-gathering missions, talking to village leaders, scouting unfamiliar terrain and observing the Taliban from hilltops, where Sodais interpreted their radio transmissions for Sullivan in real time.
In December 2012, Sullivan returned to the U.S., though he and Sodais stayed in touch. The following year, the blast of an improvised explosive device left Sodais with a concussion and a bulging spinal disk. He returned to his parents’ home in Herat to recover.
After his convalescence, he said, his supervisor told him to take a dangerous road back to the Zabul base — a day’s drive for a journey commonly traveled by air. Afraid it would be a suicide mission, he declined to take the land route and was fired for job abandonment.
The denial of his first Special Immigrant Visa application soon followed.
Those visas offer a pathway to citizenship for Afghans who were employed by the U.S. government or its private contractors. In establishing the program, federal officials acknowledged a moral obligation to protect allies who risked their lives to help the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.
More than 50,000 such visas have been approved since 2009, according to the State Department.
One requirement is “faithful and valuable service to the U.S. government.” Applicants denied visas are often deemed to have failed that provision, though interpreters and advocates have said the smallest inconsistency could trigger a denial. Over the next few years, Sodais said, three more visa applications would be denied.
In a Nov. 23, 2014, recommendation letter, Sullivan, by then an Army captain, wrote that granting Sodais a visa “is the least that can be done in order to express America’s gratitude for his services.”
“On multiple missions in enemy controlled villages, his life was threatened by local nationals in support of the Taliban for his assistance of [coalition] forces,” Sullivan wrote. “Abdulhaq did not cover his face while on mission, leaving him recognizable to Taliban informants, further endangering his life.”
He was rehired by Mission Essential in 2014, but fired again in 2016, with a civilian contractor writing in his file that he had an “incompatible skill set with [the] unit’s mission.” She accused him — falsely — Sodais says, of checking his personal Facebook at the office.
Mission Essential later told The Times that he was terminated by the military for poor performance but that it had no record of the incident he referred to.
Sodais said he was confronted by his local mullah, or Muslim clergy leader, in 2015 for working with Western armed forces. The mullah said he was labeled an infidel, and his death had been sanctioned by the Taliban. He went into hiding at his parents’ home.
Then, in July 2017, the Taliban killed Sayed Sadat, another interpreter who had worked with the platoon Sullivan had led. Devastated by the news, Sullivan reached out to Sodais, asking if he was OK.
Sodais had gotten a new phone and didn’t reply. Sullivan, who now wears a metal memorial band with Sadat’s name and date of death, feared Sodais also was dead.
Abdulhaq Sodais and Spencer Sullivan walk through a park in Bremen, Germany, in 2021. Sodais fled Afghanistan for Germany, and Sullivan worked for years to get him a visa to travel to the U.S.
(Peter Dejong / Associated Press)
What Sullivan didn’t know was that Sodais had fled Afghanistan and arrived in Germany in 2018 after seven months of travel with smugglers by land.
After his first German asylum claim was rejected, a lawyer told Sodais he needed more evidence to back up his claims of working for the U.S. So, that Christmas Eve, he messaged Sullivan asking for photos from their missions together. He told Sullivan that if he couldn’t find safety and stability, he would take his own life before the Taliban could.
Sullivan had been wracked with guilt since Sadat’s death and vowed to help. He sent the photos Sodais requested, wrote a letter of support and helped him navigate German bureaucracy. He even flew to Germany from his home in Virginia in 2019 to offer encouragement.
But the asylum process moved slowly. By March 2021, Sodais, overwhelmed by fear of deportation, became deeply depressed and attempted suicide. At a psychiatric hospital, medical records show, he was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
That August, as the Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, Sullivan returned to Germany to help Sodais prepare for his final asylum appeal hearing.
The verdict arrived a month later. He’d won.
Sodais found succeeding in German society difficult. He felt a palpable sense of discrimination and was laid off from various contract jobs, including as a forklift operator and an aid helping special needs children on and off school buses.
While Sullivan was happy his friend had found safety, he was disappointed that the country he had served continued to reject his requests for a visa.
“He should be in America,” he said at the time. “We failed him.”
In the meantime, life continued. Sodais married another Afghan refugee, Weeda Faqiri, in 2022. Sodais’ and Sullivan’s families met for the first time in 2022 when Sullivan, his wife and son visited Germany.
Also that year, Sodais said, he won a $15,000 legal judgment against Mission Essential over lack of medical care after the explosive device blast more than a decade earlier.
He and Sullivan decided to write a book about Sodais’ life and their friendship. “Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them” is scheduled to publish in April.
Last year, Sodais decided to make a final pitch to the U.S. government. On Feb. 4 came a reply unlike the others: “Approval of Appeal for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa Program.”
Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife, Weeda Faqiri, share their first meal in the United States at a restaurant in Chicago on Dec. 17.
On Sept. 25, Sodais was issued a visa valid for just over five months, until March 3. Overjoyed, he and Faqiri, 26, began planning their move.
Two months later, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was charged in the shooting that killed Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and critically wounded Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
Lakanwal, who pleaded not guilty, entered the U.S. in 2021 through a Biden administration program for Afghans in the wake of the military withdrawal, and his asylum application was approved in April. In Afghanistan, he served in a counterterrorism unit operated by the CIA.
After the shooting, the Trump administration enacted sweeping restrictions to legal immigration programs, including halting visa applications for Afghans and others.
Worried that further restrictions could follow, Sullian called Sodais and told him there were likely two options: stay permanently in Germany, or attempt to move immediately to the U.S.
Sodais chose the move.
Sullivan learned that RefugeeOne, a Chicago-based group that aids refugees, could help. Using money from their book advance, Sullivan booked Sodais and Faqiri flights from Munich to Chicago, arriving Dec. 17.
“Well, this confirms our decision to get them here as fast as possible,” he said that night. “This is a deliberate dismantling of the SIV program, one brick at a time.”
Then he learned the proclamation wouldn’t take effect until Jan. 1. The panic subsided a little.
A woman is taken into custody by Border Patrol agents after she was accused of using her vehicle to block their vehicles while they were patrolling in a shopping center in Niles, Ill., on Dec. 17.
(Scott Olson / Getty Images)
On the day of Sodais’ arrival, Border Patrol leaders returned to Chicago for a fresh round of immigration raids and patrolled a neighborhood near the hotel where he and Faqiri would be staying.
Sullivan said he would put himself physically between Sodais and immigration agents. He was half-joking, but it underscored the political moment.
After Sodais’ plane landed, Sullivan knew he had seen one of his WhatsApp messages because of the two blue checkmarks next to it. But others were unread. Had he been denied entry?
“After so many disappointments over the years, it’s hard to believe that anything’s going to go right,” Sullivan said, later admitting that “I was convinced they were cuffed face-down on the linoleum somewhere.”
Spencer Sullivan, left, guides Abdulhaq Sodais to a parking garage at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago on Dec. 17.
The arrival of three giddy RefugeeOne employees lifted the mood. After years of serving mostly Afghans, Syrians and Ukrainians, they hadn’t picked up an arriving refugee since January, said Emily Parker, who oversees contract compliance.
Parker said a private donor had paid for Sodais and Faqiri to stay a week in a hotel. They qualified for food stamps, three months of rental assistance, cash assistance and four months of Medicaid, a welcome provision because Sodais still suffers back pain from the explosion.
On the other side of the arrivals door, Sodais and Faqiri were stuck in a winding line with hundreds of other foreigners. Sodais later said they were nervous — they had been questioned for an hour in Munich and nearly just as long on their layover in Lisbon.
When they finally got to the front, the customs officer asked what Sodais did for work in Afghanistan. Sodais said he had been an interpreter for U.S. forces. Great, he recalled the agent replying, before welcoming them through.
At 5:24 p.m., Sullivan’s phone rang. Sodais had exited through a different door, so Sullivan rushed to another part of the airport and pointed excitedly when their eyes locked.
“You made it!” Sullivan said, pulling his friend in for a bear hug as they both sobbed.
Without Sullivan, Sodais told the RefugeeOne workers, he would never have made it to the U.S.
“He saved my life.”
Abdulhaq Sodais, right, listens to Adriano Gasparini, a housing manager with RefugeeOne, after viewing potential apartments in Chicago.
The next morning, Parker conducted an intake interview with Sodais to determine potential job placements and explain the services her organization would provide. She said Sodais had technically entered the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident, and his green card should arrive in the mail within a few months.
“That’s how it works with SIVs,” she said. “They’re already 100 steps ahead of any asylee or other refugee.”
Sullivan let out a deep breath. “In my mind, we were playing a long gamble on the courts challenging the executive orders, so that’s good news,” he said.
Sodais, who had applied for the visa with only Sullivan’s help and no lawyer, was also pleasantly surprised.
“This is very exciting for me, because I heard Donald Trump say he stopped everything about refugees,” he said.
Spencer Sullivan looks out of a living room window in a potential apartment for Abdulhaq Sodais and his wife in Chicago.
After dinner — the couple’s first Chicago tavern-style pizza — Sullivan offered Faqiri a box to save her last slice, and she hesitated. Sodais gently explained that in Afghanistan, it’s not cultural norm to take food home from restaurants.
“I just realized something,” Sullivan said. “You’re going to be my interpreter for the rest of our lives.”
Fox News’ Madeleine Rivera joins “Saturday in America” with new details in the Washington, D.C., shooting of two National Guard members and the Trump administration’s move to pause issuing visas for Afghanistan passport holders.
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Dramatic eyewitness video has emerged showing the moment two National Guard members were ambushed in Washington, D.C., in a brazen daylight attack that left one soldier dead and another fighting for his life.
The footage, taken by an eyewitness in a passing vehicle and obtained by the Wall Street Journal, shows alleged Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, with what appears to be a revolver in his hand, as two Guardsmen scramble for cover.
One Guardsman can then be seen sprinting around a corner down a street and returning fire.
The horrific scene, which took place about three blocks north of the White House, captures Lakanwal raising his arm. Seconds later, he opened fire on two West Virginia National Guard members, the outlet reported.
Screenshots show National Guard members scrambling for cover and returning fire during Wednesday’s ambush near Farragut West Metro station in Washington, D.C.(Obtained by the Wall Street Journal)
The video then briefly captures the fallen troops lying on the sidewalk. The incident, which has rocked the nation, unfolded on 17th Street NW near Farragut West Metro Station at around 2:15 p.m.
The shooter fired off 10 to 15 rounds with a .357 revolver, according to federal charging documents cited by Reuters.
Police said that one of the Guardsmen returned fire, hitting the suspect and ending the ambush.
Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her injuries on Thursday while Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.
Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s Afghan evacuation and resettlement program. Prosecutors say he traveled across the country shortly before the attack and had no prior criminal record.
He now faces charges including first-degree murder and two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed. Attorney General Pam Bondi has said the Department of Justice intends to seek the death penalty.
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Beckstrom died Thursday at the hospital.(United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia/Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Beckstrom and Wolfe are members of the West Virginia National Guard, which was deployed to the nation’s capital to tackle crime in the city following an executive order from President Donald Trump earlier this year.
Rep. Riley Moore, R-W.Va., said Saturday told “FOX & Friends Weekend” on Saturday that Wolfe is “hanging on,” adding that his family is calling for prayer.
“His father is a deputy sheriff in the county next to mine and Andy wanted to follow in [those] footsteps and serve his nation as a National Guardsman,” Moore told “FOX & Friends Weekend.”
“Andy is hanging on. And he is a fighter and his family has told me that time and time again, he is a fighter,” Moore added. “But above all what they want here is for everybody to continue to pray. I believe in the power of prayer and I can promise you his parents believe in the power of prayer… Please keep praying.”
Streets are blocked after reports that two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025.(AP Photo/Anthony Peltier)
West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey also told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Saturday that, “Andrew is fighting for his life right now, and his family and all of his friends, they’re trying to harvest as many prayers as possible from all across the country, all across the globe, to help him recover.”
Morrisey said Wolfe’s condition, as of Saturday, “remains very serious.”
“West Virginia cares very deeply about its Guard. And there’s just a proud tradition of West Virginians who step up from military service. So when something like this happens, it’s really a gut punch to the communities,” Morrisey added.
“Most importantly, we need justice to be served. That’s critical. I think West Virginians are counting on that. Americans are counting on that,” he told Fox News.
Michael Dorgan is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business.
You can send tips to michael.dorgan@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @M_Dorgan.
President Trump announced a series of immigration actions after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Those actions include pausing all current asylum decisions and reviewing all green card holders from 19 “countries of concern.”
The Trump administration has ordered an immediate halt to all asylum decisions nationwide following a fatal shooting near the White House that left a National Guard member dead and another critically injured.
Joseph Edlow, Director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), announced late Friday that the agency was pausing all asylum decisions “until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible.”
Officers have been instructed not to approve, deny, or close any asylum application for any nationality, although work on applications can continue up to but not including approval or denial, according to Reuters.
Newsweek contacted the White House and the USCIS via email for comment outside of regular business hours.
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Why It Matters
The asylum freeze marks a significant escalation in Trump’s second-term campaign to restrict both legal and unauthorized immigration, setting up likely legal battles and affecting thousands of awaiting asylum decisions.
It comes as the US faces scrutiny at home and abroad over its obligations to international asylum and refugee agreements, and underscores the administration’s claim to prioritize national security in the wake of violent incidents involving migrants.
What To Know
The USCIS’s latest announcement follows a double shooting that took place near the White House on Wednesday, resulting in the death of specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old member of the West Virginia National Guard.
The second target, staff sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in a critical condition.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect, had entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program for Afghans who aided US military forces after having worked with the CIA during the Afghanistan War, according to The Associated Press.
His asylum was granted earlier this year under the Trump administration, according to a group that assists with the resettlement of Afghans who helped the U.S. in the region, AP reported.
The Department of State has paused all visas for individuals traveling on Afghan passports after an attack in Washington, D.C., Wednesday targeting National Guard members.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, an Afghan national, was charged with first-degree murder among other counts related to the ambush, which has since claimed the life of West Virginia National Guard Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and critically wounded U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24.
Lakanwal was vetted by the CIA in Afghanistan and granted final asylum approval under President Donald Trump’s administration earlier this year, multiple sources told Fox News Digital.
“The Department of State has IMMEDIATELY paused visa issuance for individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” the agency wrote in an announcement on social media. “The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the State Department will halt all Afghan passport visas.(Getty Images)
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also took to X to share the news.
“President Trump’s State Department has paused visa issuance for ALL individuals traveling on Afghan passports,” Rubio wrote in a post. “The United States has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people.”
U.S.-based Afghanistan allies relocation and resettlement nonprofit AfghanEvac denounced Friday’s decision, calling the administration’s move a “violation of federal law.”
“It appears Secretary Rubio is attempting to shut down the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program in direct violation of federal law and standing court orders. He is seemingly acting at the direction of President Trump and Stephen Miller, and there is no doubt this is the outcome they have been driving toward for months,” AfghanEvac President Shawn VanDiver said in a statement.
“They are using a single violent individual as cover for a policy they have long planned, turning their own intelligence failures into an excuse to punish an entire community and the veterans who served alongside them.”
Two National Guard soldiers were shot Wednesday blocks from the White House in Washington, D.C. Alleged gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwal has been charged with first-degree murder.(AP Photo/Anthony Peltier; Department of Justice)
The new policy comes less than a day after the media questioned Trump about how the attack could have taken place after successful vetting.
“I mean, he went nuts, and that happens. It happens too often with these people,” Trump told reporters from his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida. “There was no vetting or anything. … We have a lot of others in this country, and we’re going to get them out, but they go cuckoo. Something happens to them.”
Trump noted “when it comes to asylum, when they’re flown in, it’s very hard to get them out. No matter how you want to do it, it’s very hard to get them out. But we’re going to be getting them all out now.”
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. Beckstrom died Thursday at a hospital.(United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Joseph B. Edlow also announced Thursday that, at Trump’s direction, there would be a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination” of every green card issued to immigrants from “every country of concern.”
The 19 countries deemed “high-risk” by the USCIS include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
President Trump announced Thursday that he would “permanently pause” immigration from “Third-World Countries.” The declaration comes as the Trump administration takes aim at U.S. immigration policies in the wake of the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C. Weijia Jiang has the latest.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national suspected of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, will face a murder charge after Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom died, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga and Weijia Jiang report.
President Donald Trump announced the death of one National Guard member on Thanksgiving and said another is still “fighting for his life.” Police say both soldiers were shot while on patrol down the street from the White House on Wednesday. Trump announced the death of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, during a call with troops on Thursday night. The White House says the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents later that evening.”She was savagely attacked. She’s dead, not with us. An incredible person, outstanding in every single way, in every department. It’s horrible,” Trump said on the call with troops. The charges against the alleged shooter are now expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. The Justice Department has also suggested that it will seek the death penalty. “The death penalty is back,” Attorney General Pam Bondi posted Thursday night. FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is also being investigated as an act of terrorism. Authorities say Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in a targeted attack, although a motive has not been revealed. The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan. “What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across the country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday morning.The Associated Press reports that Lakanwal was approved for asylum under the Trump administration, but officials say he first entered the country through a Biden administration resettlement program after the U.S. withdrew from the war in Afghanistan. Before arriving in America, Lakanwal worked with the CIA, according to John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director. Ratcliffe said the relationship ended shortly after the evacuation of U.S. service members.”We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday. Asked about the CIA connection and the screening procedures involved with that, President Trump continued to insist that the alleged shooter entered the U.S. unvetted.”He went nuts,” Trump said. “It happens too often with these people.”In a statement, the group #AfghanEvac, which assists with the resettlement process, said Afghan immigrants and wartime allies “undergo some of the most extensive security vetting of any population entering the country.” “This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said. After the shooting, Trump said his administration would be reviewing every Afghan who entered the country under the Biden administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indefinitely paused processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.” On Thursday, USCIS also said there would be “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” Additionally, the agency released new guidance outlining new vetting standards for prospective immigrants from “19 high-risk countries.”Meanwhile, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric in a social media post just before midnight Thursday, promising to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”Trump said he would terminate what he described as illegal admissions under the Biden administration, end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.” “HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long,” Trump said.
WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump announced the death of one National Guard member on Thanksgiving and said another is still “fighting for his life.” Police say both soldiers were shot while on patrol down the street from the White House on Wednesday.
Trump announced the death of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old from West Virginia, during a call with troops on Thursday night. The White House says the president spoke with Beckstrom’s parents later that evening.
“She was savagely attacked. She’s dead, not with us. An incredible person, outstanding in every single way, in every department. It’s horrible,” Trump said on the call with troops.
The charges against the alleged shooter are now expected to be upgraded to first-degree murder. The Justice Department has also suggested that it will seek the death penalty.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the shooting is also being investigated as an act of terrorism.
Authorities say Beckstrom and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, were shot in a targeted attack, although a motive has not been revealed.
The alleged shooter has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old from Afghanistan.
“What we know about him is that he drove his vehicle across the country from the state of Washington with the intended target of coming to our nation’s capital,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said at a press conference on Thursday morning.
The Associated Press reports that Lakanwal was approved for asylum under the Trump administration, but officials say he first entered the country through a Biden administration resettlement program after the U.S. withdrew from the war in Afghanistan.
Before arriving in America, Lakanwal worked with the CIA, according to John Ratcliffe, the spy agency’s director. Ratcliffe said the relationship ended shortly after the evacuation of U.S. service members.
“We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America,” FBI Director Kash Patel said Thursday.
Asked about the CIA connection and the screening procedures involved with that, President Trump continued to insist that the alleged shooter entered the U.S. unvetted.
“He went nuts,” Trump said. “It happens too often with these people.”
In a statement, the group #AfghanEvac, which assists with the resettlement process, said Afghan immigrants and wartime allies “undergo some of the most extensive security vetting of any population entering the country.”
“This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” #AfghanEvac president Shawn VanDiver said.
After the shooting, Trump said his administration would be reviewing every Afghan who entered the country under the Biden administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has indefinitely paused processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals, “pending further review of security and vetting protocols.”
On Thursday, USCIS also said there would be “a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.” Additionally, the agency released new guidance outlining new vetting standards for prospective immigrants from “19 high-risk countries.”
Meanwhile, Trump ramped up his anti-immigrant rhetoric in a social media post just before midnight Thursday, promising to “permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover.”
Trump said he would terminate what he described as illegal admissions under the Biden administration, end all federal benefits and subsidies to noncitizens, and “denaturalize migrants who undermine domestic tranquility.”
“HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL, except those that hate, steal, murder, and destroy everything that America stands for — You won’t be here for long,” Trump said.
(Reuters) -The handgun used in the ambush of two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday was a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver, Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, said on Thursday.
Here are five facts about the weapon.
The handgun, which was first introduced in the 1930s, is typically a six-shooter revolver that fires rounds at a high velocity and has been popular with law enforcement officials for its stopping power and ability to penetrate vehicles.
THE .357 SMITH & WESSON IS RARELY USED IN PUBLIC SHOOTINGS
The gun, which has limited ammunition capacity compared with semi-automatic pistols that can carry 10-17 rounds or more, is rarely used in public or mass shootings. It is more commonly used for target practice or hunting small to medium game.
IT IS SIMILAR TO BUT NOT THE SAME AS THE .44 MAGNUM MADE FAMOUS IN THE ‘DIRTY HARRY’ MOVIES
The .357 Smith & Wesson is a Magnum handgun, meaning it can fire a high-powered cartridge. It was the original Magnum handgun. But the power and recoil of a .44 Magnum, made famous by Clint Eastwood in his fictional portrayal of Inspector “Dirty” Harry Callahan in the 1970s and 1980s police drama franchise, is significantly higher.
HANDGUN INTRODUCED AFTER PROHIBITION
The .357 Smith & Wesson was introduced in 1935 shortly after the end of the Prohibition era, when the mafia and other organized criminal groups had gained considerable power in the U.S. over the battle to control the illegal alcohol trade. The gun was designed primarily for police to give them more firepower.
IT BECAME A GO-TO HANDGUN FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
For decades after its introduction, the .357 Smith & Wesson was the handgun of choice for most U.S. law enforcement officials because of its power and ability to penetrate vehicles.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The Trump administration on Thursday blamed Biden-era vetting failures for the admission of an Afghan immigrant suspected of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., but the alleged gunman was granted asylum this year under President Donald Trump, according to a U.S. government file seen by Reuters.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, entered the U.S. on September 8, 2021, under Operation Allies Welcome. The resettlement program was set up by former Democratic President Joe Biden after the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021 that led to the rapid collapse of the Afghan government and the country’s takeover by the Taliban.
FBI Director Kash Patel and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, both Trump appointees, said during a press conference on Thursday that the Biden administration had failed to conduct adequate background checks or vetting on Lakanwal before allowing him to enter the U.S. in 2021.
Neither official provided any evidence to support their assertion.
Patel said Lakanwal, who had worked with U.S. government forces during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, was improperly allowed to enter the U.S. because “the prior administration made the decision to allow thousands of people into this country without doing a single piece of background checking or vetting.”
The program, which allowed more than 70,000 Afghan nationals into the U.S., according to a congressional report, was designed with vetting procedures, including by U.S. counter-terrorism and intelligence agencies. But the large-scale and rushed nature of the evacuations led critics to say the background checks were inefficient.
AFGHAN SUSPECT HAD WORKED WITH CIA
Under the Operation Allies Welcome program, Afghans evacuated to the U.S. were granted a two-year “parole” that allowed them to live and work legally and then apply for a more permanent status.
The document reviewed by Reuters said Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 of this year, three months after Trump took office. Lakanwal, 29, who resided in Washington state, had no known criminal history, the official said.
The government file on Lakanwal said he had been vetted by the U.S. because of his work with U.S. government partners during the war in Afghanistan, and no potentially disqualifying information had been found.
“This animal would’ve never been here if not for Joe Biden’s dangerous policies which allowed countless unvetted criminals to invade our country and harm the American people,” said Abigail Jackson, a White House spokeswoman.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that Lakanwal had worked with CIA-backed local units in 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 said. “This individual – and so many others – should have never been allowed to come here.”
The shooting of U.S. troops on American soil by an immigrant is likely to reverberate across the American political landscape. Trump has already ordered the deployment of 500 more troops to Washington.
While Lakanwal was in the country legally, the incident plays directly into Trump’s narrative on immigration. He has made cracking down on both legal and illegal immigration a centerpiece of his presidency, and this case may give him an opening to broaden the debate beyond legality to include closer scrutiny of the vetting of immigrants.
In a video message posted by the White House on Wednesday, Trump called Lakanwal an “animal” and the shootings “an act of terror.”
Trump called for a “re-examination” of all Afghan nationals who entered the U.S. during the Biden administration. All immigration applications by Afghan nationals were suspended by the Trump administration on Wednesday night.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement that the Trump administration would review all Biden-era asylum cases, expanding on a review of Biden-era refugees reported by Reuters earlier this week.
A source familiar with the matter said the suspension included applications by Afghans who had worked with the CIA.
The attack has also revived Trump administration criticism of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
The withdrawal led to a collapse of the Afghan government that was much quicker than expected. The evacuation of thousands of Afghans fueled concerns by Republicans that potential terrorists could sneak into the U.S.
(Reporting by Tim Reid and Ted Hesson, additional reporting by Erin Banco and Jana Winter; editing by Ross Colvin and Nia Williams)
Officials announced that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 and once worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, is suspected of carrying out a “calculated attack” against two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga, Nancy Cordes and Sam Vinograd have more.
President Trump weighed in on the shooting in Washington, D.C., where two members of the National Guard were injured. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021, previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, CBS News has learned. Nancy Cordes and Sam Vinograd have more.
Officials provided an update on the investigation into a shooting in Washington, D.C., where two National Guard members were allegedly targeted by 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal. The suspect faces several charges of assault with intent to kill while armed. CBS News’ Nicole Sganga reports.
An image of an ID badge circulating widely online Thursday that purportedly shows the suspect in the shooting of the National Guard members says he was assigned to the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03” unit, one of a number of so-called “Zero Units” that worked closely with U.S. and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan.
The badge also carries the words “Firebase Gecko,” which was the name of a base used by the CIA and special forces in Kandahar, in southern Afghanistan, inside what was previously the compound of the Taliban’s founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
CBS News has not independently verified the authenticity of the ID badge shown in the photos, but CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had previously worked “with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”
The “Zero Units” were exclusively composed of Afghan nationals and operated under the umbrella of the National Directorate of Security, or NDS, the intelligence agency established with CIA backing for Afghanistan’s previous, U.S.-backed government.
A former senior Afghan general under that previous government told CBS News on Thursday that “03 unit, also known as The Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), was under special forces directorate of NDS. They were the most active and professional forces, trained and equipped by the CIA. All their operations were conducted under the CIA command.”
The units were known in Afghanistan for their secrecy and alleged brutality, and members were implicated in numerous extrajudicial killings of civilians, particularly during night raids.
They were considered by the U.S. and its international partners to be among the most trusted domestic forces in Afghanistan.
There was no immediate reaction from Afghanistan’s current Taliban government, and officials in Kabul did not respond to CBS News’ requests for comment on the arrest in Washington.
As a member of a Zero Unit, the suspect would have been virtually guaranteed a route to asylum in the U.S. because members of these elite units were high on the list for Taliban retaliation after the group retook control of the country. Many members of these units played key roles in the August 2021 evacuation from Kabul, in return for a guarantee of space on a flight for themselves and their families out of Afghanistan.
