The Shadow Over America: How The Afghani Evacuation Became A Gateway For ISIS Terrorists

WASHINGTON – Less than four years into his presidency, Joe Biden’s legacy as commander-in-chief is irrevocably scarred by a series of events that began on August 26th, 2021. That day witnessed the deadliest security incident in Afghanistan since the American military withdrawal commenced just days earlier.

The collapse accelerated under President Ashraf Ghani, who fled Kabul amidst Taliban advances weeks prior. But the humanitarian crisis rapidly escalating from the US-NATO retreat created fertile ground for chaos and danger at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA). There, on August 26th – Independence Day in Afghanistan – a catastrophic terrorist attack unfolded.

Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) suicide bomber detonated explosives near the ‘Abbey Gate’, killing 13 US service members and hundreds more Afghan civilians. The event marked one of America’s most lethal single-day losses since leaving Iraq behind, even surpassing the grim milestone set by withdrawal plans themselves.

The immediate humanitarian response was Operation Allies Refuge/Welcome (OAR/OAW), designed to bring Afghans fleeing the Taliban regime into safety. However, a year later, investigations revealed this relief operation became dangerously compromised when US authorities admitted individuals lacking proper vetting – including those who posed national security threats and even ISIS operatives.

Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is a prime example. This individual entered the US on parole status shortly after Operation Allies Welcome began just two weeks post-Kabul airport tragedy, despite his clear ties to ISIS. His plea agreement revealed plotting material support for ISIS alongside acquiring weapons intended for Election Day attacks – actions he committed while already in America.

Compounding this issue is the case of Abdullah Haji Zada, Tawhedi’s brother-in-law and alleged co-conspirator. He was just 17 when he entered the US years before Biden took office via a similar ‘special immigrant visa’ program, even managing to stay legally here until the election day plot was uncovered.

The question now hangs heavy: How many other ISIS operatives or sympathizers were integrated into American society alongside these two individuals after they facilitated their entry under pressure from the Taliban’s return and chaotic power transition?

While the administration initially denied knowing how many such threats existed among the nearly 80,000 evacuees processed via OAR/OAW since July 2021, subsequent reports have highlighted systemic failures in vetting procedures. The danger posed by individuals who entered America with loose oversight raises critical questions about security protocols long after the Afghan withdrawal concluded under pressure from the Taliban’s return and chaotic power transition.

These are not isolated incidents but rather symptomatic of a flawed process that continues to impact national security today, four years down the line from those hurried evacuations amidst the dust of a collapsing government.