I remember the morning of September 11 distinctly. It was a Tuesday. It was bright and sunny. Our professor wheeled a television into our computer science classroom. As soon as we saw another plane crash into the second tower, we knew that America was under attack.
It was a defining moment for our nation and for me. I was in my first year at West Point, and from that moment on, my classmates and I knew we would spend the rest of our time at the United States Military Academy preparing for war.
But what made it personal was learning that the terrorists used the Hudson River to navigate their way to New York, essentially flying over West Point.
Everyone handled the attacks differently. West Point held a special vigil for the victims of 9/11. Traditionally, a Taps vigil is reserved for a cadet who dies while at West Point. This time, the administration opened the candlelight vigil to the public for the first time. I was struck by a group of active-duty instructors who defied orders and left after class each day to search for survivors in the rubble. I couldn’t go with them, so I coped by working. I wanted to learn everything I could so that when I finally confronted the terrorists responsible, there would be no question about who would win that fight. I remember writing to my family on AOL Messenger that very night, “The hand of American justice will be swift — America’s resolve is steadfast.”
Most Americans made a vow after 9/11 to never forget, but the truth is, we can’t forget. The images of the Pentagon on fire, of people jumping from the Twin Towers, of dust filling Manhattan after the towers came crashing down, of hero firefighters on top of the rubble, and of the American flag flying over it all are seared into our minds. They aren’t just memories; they have fundamentally shaped who we are and how we see the world.
In 2005, the year we graduated, Time Magazine featured our class. They called us the class of 9/11. And as if by Providence, we graduated with exactly 911 cadets. Time’s article got many things right, but it wasn’t the whole story. Parading across the Plain on graduation morning was only the beginning. The real story began once we deployed to war.
Fortunately, while at West Point, many of our instructors cycled through active combat roles in between teaching. This, along with the creation of the Combating Terrorism Center, gave us a taste of what we’d be up against. As one instructor who had just come back from the battlefield told Time, “What these cadets don’t know is that I’m secretly teaching Iraq every second of every day.” That real-world instruction proved invaluable once we reached the battlefield.
I was honored to serve with many of my West Point classmates during the 2008 surge into Iraq and beyond. We all learned what it means to be soldiers and then what it means to be leaders.
Five years into my service, I joined the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR). Our mission was to go after high-value terrorist targets in Afghanistan. One mission stands out. We were going after a high-level terrorist in northeastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border. I was the air mission commander and part of a flight of MH-47s. As we entered a valley to extract the ground force, I had a feeling that something wasn’t right. Suddenly, an RPG struck our refueling probe. By the grace of God, it didn&#8217;t explode. My crew immediately did exactly what they had been trained to do. They engaged the enemy, communicated with the supporting aircraft, and helped get the situation under control. We had a split second to decide what to do next, and chose an alternate route over the mountain and out of the valley. This mission was formative. It taught me how important it is to have a team you can trust. None of us would be here today if even one of us hadn’t done our job. That is a lesson West Point teaches, but it&#8217;s not something you can truly understand until you’re on the battlefield.
I’ve been asked since the fall of Afghanistan if the war was worth it. That’s complicated, but ultimately, my answer is yes. While watching the Taliban invade Kabul and then parade through the streets with the same U.S. military equipment we used to fight them was uniquely painful, I am still confident that we did good in Afghanistan. After watching those towers fall, none of us could rest until Osama bin Laden was found and his network destroyed — and that’s exactly what we did in Afghanistan.
From the moment I took my affirmation oath at West Point to my last flight in Afghanistan, nothing mattered more to me than the mission. I was raised by a Vietnam veteran who sacrificed his health, and ultimately his life due to Agent Orange, for this country. For 10 years, the only thing that mattered was finding and disrupting terrorist networks. Before 9/11, my West Point class picked a motto: “Class of 2005, Keeping Freedom Alive.” My classmates and I lived that motto during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
That being said, I’m not blind to the sacrifices the War on Terror required — and still requires today. One cadet told Time magazine that he majored in economics because it&#8217;s a marketable skill. He went on to say, “Hopefully, I’ll be alive to use them.” My West Point classmates and I had stood in our mess hall in silent attention over 20 times since September 11 to commemorate the death of a fallen graduate. This prepared us more than anything for the sacrifice required of us. Yet after graduation, things became even more real. Some of the bravest men and women I studied and trained with at West Point did not survive the War on Terror, and many of those who did survive carried mental, emotional, and physical scars.
This year, as we commemorate the 25th anniversary of that September day, I can’t help but think back to my time at West Point and the message I sent to my family that night about American resolve. We need that resolve now more than ever. September 11 taught us that terrorism is not contained to one country or one region. Today, “Keeping Freedom Alive” is more than just a motto; it is a solemn responsibility for every American and one we must pass on to the next generation. 
*** 
Congressman Matt Van Epps is a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. After graduating from West Point, he served 10 years on active duty, including nine combat tours as an Army aviator, deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan and flying the AH-64D Apache and MH-47G Chinook with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. He continues to serve in the Tennessee Army National Guard and brings his military, public-sector, and private-sector experience to Congress, where he serves on the House Committee on Homeland Security as well as the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.

West Point Class of 2005 Prepare for Parade Review

Twenty-Five Years Later, My 9/11 West Point Class Still Keeps Freedom Alive

afghanistan

matt van epps

opinion

september 11 attacks

war on terror

west point

Pakistan carried out cross-border airstrikes in eastern Afghanistan overnight after a deadly militant attack killed three Pakistani security personnel, escalating tensions between Islamabad and the Taliban government as each side offered sharply different accounts of the operation.
Pakistan’s information minister, Attaullah Tarar, said the military first conducted an “intelligence-based ground operation” before launching airstrikes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border targeting terrorist hideouts. The operation followed Saturday’s attack on the Pakistan Rangers’ regional headquarters in Karachi, where militants killed three security personnel.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, later claimed responsibility for the Karachi attack. Pakistani authorities said security forces killed three attackers and arrested another suspect, whom the military identified as an Afghan national.
Tarar said Sunday’s operation targeted hideouts and safe havens used by Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and Fitna al-Khawarij, the term Pakistan uses for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP. Pakistani authorities have blamed the Pakistani Taliban and allied groups for much of the recent violence targeting police and security forces. The TTP is separate from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, although the two are allies.
The Taliban government disputed Pakistan’s account of the strikes, accusing Pakistan of hitting civilian homes rather than militant positions. Afghan officials <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/29/pakistan-deadly-airstrikes-afghanistan-border">claimed</a> the strikes hit three eastern provinces and killed 36 civilians while wounding 163 others.
Taliban spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistani forces struck a home in Paktia province, killing an older man and a child. He said the area was struck again, killing 28 villagers and wounding 158 others. Fitrat also said six people, most of them women and children, were killed when a home was hit in Paktika province, while a strike in Kunar province reportedly killed livestock but caused no human casualties.
Another Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, condemned the operation as a “cowardly act of aggression.”
Pakistan defended the strikes as part of its campaign against militant groups responsible for attacks inside the country.
“Pakistan has always strived for maintaining peace and stability in the region, but at the same time shall not compromise on the safety and security of our citizens, which remains our top priority,” Tarar said.
The latest strikes highlight another <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/pakistan-forces-kill-29-militants-border-operation-ap-reports-2026-06-28/">escalation</a> in a relationship that has steadily deteriorated since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in 2021. Pakistan has repeatedly accused Kabul of allowing militant groups to operate from Afghan territory, an allegation Afghan authorities have consistently denied.
Although the two countries agreed to a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/mar/18/afghans-search-for-loved-ones-kabul-rehab-centre-pakistan-airstrike">ceasefire in March</a> after weeks of fighting, cross-border violence has continued. Afghan officials said Pakistani strikes earlier in June killed 13 people, while prior Pakistani operations have also drawn accusations of heavy civilian casualties.
The conflict has included fighting along the frontier and Pakistani airstrikes on Afghan cities, including Kabul and Kandahar, where the Taliban’s supreme leader is based. Mediation efforts by countries including China and Saudi Arabia have so far failed to produce a lasting resolution, and the frontier has remained largely closed since cross-border violence in October.
In March, Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, said peace between Pakistan and Afghanistan could only prevail if the Taliban regime “renounced their support for terrorism and terrorist organizations.”

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-CONFLICT

Pakistan Bombs Afghanistan Following Deadly Militant Attack

Pakistan Bombs Afghan Border Following Deadly Militant Attack

attack

pakistan

A decorated U.S. Army combat veteran took to the pages of <a href="https://www.wsj.com/opinion/im-the-soldier-grahamplatner-mocked-2a6c3dbc?mod=opinion_lead_pos5">The Wall Street Journal</a> on Thursday to deliver a thunderous beatdown to Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, exposing the presumptive nominee as a keyboard coward who rooted for the Taliban to kill American soldiers.
Purple Heart recipient Teddy Daniels eviscerated Platner, calling him an &#8220;entitled brat&#8221; and an elitist phony who pretends to be a working-class champion while secretly harboring deep contempt for blue-collar Americans.
The fury erupted after investigative reports unearthed a shocking digital paper trail from Platner’s past. Using the anonymous Reddit handle &#8220;P-Hustle,&#8221; Platner left a trail of <a href="https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/maine-politics/sen-susan-collins-criticizes-challenger-graham-platner-comments-about-her-and-2019-reddit-post-teddy-daniels/97-54f2209c-e5c5-4737-8876-4f7fa7b71a5d#:~:text=Collins%20added%20that%20she%20and,combat%20in%20Afghanistan%20in%202012.">1,800 comments</a> — including a stomach-churning June 2019 post in which he watched a viral helmet-cam video of Daniels getting shot multiple times during a 2012 Taliban ambush in Afghanistan.
Instead of showing respect for a wounded soldier, Platner mocked him.
“This video never gets old. Dumb motherf*cker didn’t deserve to live,” Platner wrote online, mocking the bleeding soldier as a &#8220;mouthbreather&#8221; who only survived due to &#8220;poor marksmanship on the Taliban’s part.&#8221;
“I received a Purple Heart for my injuries, but Mr. Platner cheered for my death from behind a keyboard,” Daniels wrote.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rLHU-_OhT8g?si=UQbA6Xl1Hlb1Kf26" width="560" height="315" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Daniels used his Journal op-ed to rip the mask off the 41-year-old Democrat. &#8220;The tough-talking Marine veteran struts around in a Carhartt jacket and jeans &#8230; He also plays up his job as an &#8216;oyster farmer,&#8217; but the only client mentioned in his federal financial <a class="ekxajjj0 css-i0lbhy-OverridedLink" href="https://www.themainewire.com/2025/11/platners-long-delayed-financial-disclosure-raises-new-questions-mills-granted-filing-extension/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-type="link">disclosure</a> was the restaurant his mother owns.&#8221;
&#8220;I couldn’t care less about the comments he made about me, but they are a reflection of his character,&#8221; Daniels wrote, comparing Platner to &#8220;Tim Walz on steroids&#8221; and pointing out that Platner has also used his keyboard to trash-talk Navy SEAL Chris Kyle and Vice President JD Vance. &#8220;I never thought I’d see the day when Democrats would even consider backing a candidate like this.&#8221;
The disgusting revelations have added another scandal to Platner’s campaign just two weeks before the Maine primary, drawing a furious rebuke from incumbent Republican Sen. Susan Collins.
Collins, <a href="https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/maine-politics/sen-susan-collins-criticizes-challenger-graham-platner-comments-about-her-and-2019-reddit-post-teddy-daniels/97-54f2209c-e5c5-4737-8876-4f7fa7b71a5d">speaking</a> at a fire station groundbreaking in Auburn, Maine, revealed that outraged veterans from all across the United States have been flooding her office to voice their disgust. For Collins, the insult is deeply personal — her own father was a World War II veteran who earned two Purple Hearts at the Battle of the Bulge, where he was wounded just after turning 19.
“You have Graham Platner using profanity and saying that this wounded soldier doesn’t deserve to live,” a visibly appalled Collins told reporters. “These are men and women who are risking their lives for our country &#8230; for him to ridicule this soldier and saying that he doesn’t deserve to live is just appalling.”
Platner tried to salvage his campaign by releasing a frantic video statement, attempting to blame Collins for sending him to war because of her 2002 vote to authorize military action in Iraq.
But Collins instantly nuked that defense, pointing out that Platner wasn&#8217;t drafted — he voluntarily enlisted twice long after the war had already begun, and then chose to cash in by working for the controversial private mercenary firm Blackwater.
The U.S. Senate primary in Maine is on June 9. Platner is expected to cruise to victory in the Democratic primary after his main opponent, Democratic Governor Janet Mills, suspended her campaign.

Maine Democrat Graham Platner Is Winning Voters All ‘Pissed At The Same Thing’

Purple Heart Hero Levels Radical Dem Who Mocked His War Wounds

graham platner

maine

purple heart

susan collins

Dennis Coyle, an American held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan since January 2025, set foot on U.S. soil on Wednesday morning after his release was secured by President Donald Trump.
After landing in San Antonio, Texas, Coyle was reunited with his family, who had spent nearly 14 months working to help secure his release.
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Dennis Coyle is BACK on U.S. soil and reunited with his family after more than a year in Taliban captivity.
Promises made, promises kept 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/PXTlHw6FTR">https://t.co/PXTlHw6FTR</a> <a href="https://t.co/wB2uZURqs7">pic.twitter.com/wB2uZURqs7</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036784727428845858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2026</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Today, our hearts are filled with overwhelming gratitude and praise to God for sustaining Dennis’ life and bringing him back home after what has been the most challenging and uncertain 421 days of our lives,&#8221; Coyle&#8217;s family <a href="https://freedenniscoyle.com/">wrote</a> on Tuesday.
The family went on to thank Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, along with several officials involved in the release, including Dr. Sebastian Gorka.
&#8220;The countless hours of negotiations, unwavering support, and determination demonstrated by all involved have not gone unnoticed, and we will forever hold this kindness in our hearts,&#8221; the statement continued.
Coyle&#8217;s return to America comes two months after NewsNation host Katie Pavlich <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/2036450018148663625">asked</a> Trump about his case. At the time, Trump vowed to &#8220;take care of it.&#8221;
After the Taliban took control of Afghanistan following former President Joe Biden&#8217;s disastrous withdrawal from the country, numerous American citizens were abducted by the Taliban and held without charges, with some hostages remaining in custody for nearly three years.
Coyle had lived in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years as an academic researcher and maintained valid visas and work permits during his time there. After his capture, his family raised concerns about his health, noting he was unlikely to receive adequate medical care. Americans held hostage by the Taliban are typically allowed only minimal contact with family and the outside world.
Coyle became the sixth American hostage to be released by the Taliban since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025. Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were freed last January, following negotiations initiated under the Biden administration and carried out under Trump. Then, in March of last year, George Glezmann and Faye Hall were released, and Amir Amiri was freed in September after nine months in captivity.
At least two Americans are still believed to be in Taliban custody: Afghan-American Mahmoud Habibi, a former Afghan civil aviation official abducted in 2022, and American author Paul Overby, who was last seen in Afghanistan in 2014 while researching a book.

Dennis Coyle/Donald Trump

WATCH: American Held Captive By Taliban For More Than A Year Sets Foot On U.S. Soil

donald trump

Hostages

An American citizen held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for over a year could soon be flying home thanks to efforts from the Trump administration in coordination with Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
Colorado native Dennis Coyle, 64, had spent decades working as an academic researcher in Afghanistan, but on January 27, 2025, he was taken into custody by the Taliban and held without charges, <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/dennis-coyle/#gsc.tab=0">according</a> to the James Foley Foundation, an American hostage advocacy group. After nearly 14 months in near-solitary confinement, Coyle&#8217;s release was finally secured, Trump&#8217;s special envoy for hostage response, Adam Boehler, told Fox News on Tuesday.
&#8220;President Trump made clear: the United States will not tolerate the unjust detention of its citizens—anywhere,&#8221; Boehler <a href="https://x.com/TreyYingst/status/2036424322428842210">said</a>. &#8220;His personal determination —executed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a fully aligned interagency team — has driven a shift to accountability, pressure, and results.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Dennis Coyle is on his way home! We remain committed to freeing all Americans wrongfully detained abroad. Today the Taliban took an important step in the right direction, now they must release all remaining Americans immediately, including Mahmood Habibi and Paul Overby. <a href="https://t.co/EehmKvwyzI">pic.twitter.com/EehmKvwyzI</a>
— Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (@StateSPEHA) <a href="https://twitter.com/StateSPEHA/status/2036519843684401649?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Since being taken into custody last January, Coyle&#8217;s elderly mother and three sisters have worked to help secure his release, raising concerns about his health. It&#8217;s unlikely the American has received proper medical care, according to a <a href="https://freedenniscoyle.com/">website</a> dedicated to raising awareness of Coyle&#8217;s situation. Coyle lived in Kabul after first arriving in Afghanistan in the early 2000s &#8220;to survey Afghanistan’s rich linguistic diversity and help Afghan communities develop resources in their own languages.&#8221; The American citizen had worked in Afghanistan for nearly 20 years before and kept up to date on his visas and work permits.
&#8220;We recognize the persistence of Dennis Coyle’s three sisters, whose advocacy helped drive this outcome. We recognize the efforts of the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, partners in bringing Dennis home,&#8221; Boehler added.
Following the United States&#8217; messy withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 under former President Joe Biden, the Taliban kidnapped multiple U.S. citizens and held them in solitary confinement, allowing the Americans to maintain minimal communications with their families and the outside world.
Coyle is now the sixth American hostage to be released by the Taliban since Trump came back into the White House, and he &#8220;joins over 100 Americans who have been freed&#8221; throughout the world since Trump was sworn in on January 20, 2025, according to the State Department.
U.S. citizens Ryan Corbett and William McKenty were released by the Taliban last January following negotiations started by the Biden administration that came to fruition under Trump. Then, in March of last year, Americans George Glezmann and Faye Hall were released. Amir Amiri was freed from Taliban custody last September after nine months in confinement.
The State Department said on Tuesday that &#8220;more work needs to be done&#8221; to bring home Americans still held by the Taliban, including <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/mahmoud-habibi/#gsc.tab=0">Mahmoud Habibi</a> and author <a href="https://jamesfoleyfoundation.org/hostage/paul-overby/#gsc.tab=0">Paul Overby</a>. Habibi, who was Afghanistan&#8217;s former director of civil aviation, was abducted from his vehicle and arrested by the Taliban in 2022. He is believed to still be in custody, but the Taliban denies that it is holding him. Overby was last seen while conducting research for a book in Afghanistan in 2014.
&#8220;The Taliban must end their practice of hostage diplomacy,&#8221; the State Department added.

Taliban/Dennis Coyle

Another American Is Coming Home After Trump Secures Hostage Deal

Trump Secures Release Of Another American Held Hostage By Taliban

Taliban

trump administration

As the world watches the Iranian regime scramble to find a spider hole in the face of escalating regional pressure, a stark reality has emerged: former President Joe Biden’s catastrophic decision to abandon Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan has left the United States with its hands tied behind its back.
Reports are now flooding in that the Iranian &#8220;top brass,&#8221; sensing the walls closing in on Tehran, have decamped to the distant city of Mashhad.
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A major mystery over the past few days has been the exact location where regime officials are giving interviews to state TV.
​The Iranian account <a href="https://twitter.com/Merida2NAJ?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Merida2NAJ</a> accurately identified the site as the Mashhad branch of the regime&#39;s Foreign Ministry 👇 <a href="https://t.co/xCapy73uWa">pic.twitter.com/xCapy73uWa</a>
&mdash; Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrEliDavid/status/2031829155936079949?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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This isn&#8217;t just a change of scenery; it’s a strategic retreat. As was noted on X, the regime has abandoned the capital for a site &#8220;as far away from US bases and carriers—and from Israel—as you can get without actually fleeing to Afghanistan.&#8221;
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The regime&#39;s top brass seems to have decamped to the distant city of Mashhad, as far away from the US bases and carriers—and from Israel—as you can get without actually fleeing to Afghanistan. They have abandoned the capital. <a href="https://t.co/xkXk2KHe23">https://t.co/xkXk2KHe23</a> <a href="https://t.co/tcIExBPCGs">pic.twitter.com/tcIExBPCGs</a>
&mdash; Saul Sadka (@Saul_Sadka) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saul_Sadka/status/2031841143718133975?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 11, 2026</a></blockquote>
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Mashhad, now identified as the site where many say regime officials are conducting state TV interviews from a branch of the Foreign Ministry, sits roughly 575 miles from Bagram Airbase. In military terms, that is a stone’s throw for a modern air force. But thanks to the Biden administration’s 2021 surrender of that strategic crown jewel, that distance might as well be a million miles.
U.S. Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz summed up the frustration of the military community in five words: &#8220;If only we still had Bagram Airbase&#8230;&#8221;
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If only we still had Bagram Airbase…. <a href="https://t.co/54S0E09EZQ">https://t.co/54S0E09EZQ</a>
&mdash; Ambassador Mike Waltz (@michaelgwaltz) <a href="https://twitter.com/michaelgwaltz/status/2031960371414675633?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 12, 2026</a></blockquote>
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The loss of Bagram — one of the largest U.S. military facilities in Afghanistan,<a href="https://media.defense.gov/2021/Nov/16/2002893786/-1/-1/1/LEAD%20INSPECTOR%20GENERAL%20FOR%20OPERATION%20FREEDOM%E2%80%99S%20SENTINEL%20JULY%201%2C%202021%20-%20SEPTEMBER%2030%2C%202021..PDF.PDF?utm_source=chatgpt.com"> hosting</a> roughly 40,000 personnel — wasn&#8217;t a defeat on the battlefield; it was a self-inflicted wound by a commander-in-chief who prioritized a political calendar over tactical reality. In July 2021, Biden oversaw a &#8220;midnight departure&#8221; so poorly coordinated that the Afghan commander didn’t even know the Americans were gone until two hours after the last plane cleared the runway. By cutting the power and slipping away in the dark, the Biden administration didn&#8217;t just leave a base — they left a vacuum that was immediately filled by looters and, eventually, the Taliban.
Biden’s defenders, including Secretary Lloyd Austin and <a href="https://freebeacon.com/national-security/biden-contradicts-milley-on-decision-to-abandon-bagram/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">General Mark Milley</a>, tried to hand-wave the decision, citing manpower constraints. They claimed they couldn’t spare 5,000 troops to secure the $1 billion infrastructure. Instead, Biden chose to funnel everything through the vulnerable Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, setting the stage for the chaotic collapse that followed.
The consequences of this retreat are staggering. When Bagram fell on August 15, 2021, the Taliban didn&#8217;t just get a runway; they got the keys to the Parwan Detention Facility, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2021/10/06/politics/kabul-airport-attacker-prison">releasing</a> thousands of Al-Qaeda and ISIS-K terrorists back into the wild. They also inherited a &#8220;gift&#8221; from the American taxpayer: a portion of the <a href="https://voz.us/en/politics/251205/31639/afghan-watchdog-concludes-billions-in-weapons-u-s-left-behind-form-core-of-taliban-military.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com#google_vignette">$7.1 billion</a> in tactical equipment left behind across the country, including Black Hawks, MRAPs, and advanced night-vision tech.
Today, while the Taliban uses Bagram to hold military parades showcasing refurbished U.S. gear, the Iranian mullahs are using the base’s absence to their advantage. Had Biden maintained the American presence at Bagram, the move to Mashhad would have placed the Iranian leadership directly under the nose of U.S. airpower. Instead, Biden’s retreat has provided the world&#8217;s leading state sponsor of terrorism exactly what they needed: a safe haven just out of reach.
As <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/trump-biden-afghanistan-withdrawal-bagram-air-base">Donald Trump</a> and other critics have noted, Bagram was a vital strategic asset—not just for Afghanistan, but for monitoring China and holding Iran accountable. By abandoning it, Joe Biden didn&#8217;t just end a war; he disarmed the United States in a region that is now more volatile than ever.

Joe Biden

As Iranian Mullahs Panic And Flee To Safe Haven, Biden’s Bagram Betrayal Haunts U.S. Response

IRAN ON THE RUN: Mullahs Flee To 'Safe Haven' While Biden’s Bagram Betrayal Leaves U.S. Hamstrung

Bagram Airbase

iran

joe biden

Suspected terrorist Emir Balat flashed an ISIS salute three times while being escorted in handcuffs from a police precinct in New York on Monday.
Balat first made the gesture as he emerged from a tunnel outside the precinct where he had been held after being arrested on Saturday. A police officer attempted to cover his hand with a manila folder, but Balat raised his hand above the folder and repeated the gesture. He briefly lowered his hand before raising it a third time as he was placed into a vehicle.
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The 18-year-old was seen holding up his right index finger — a universal salute for the terror group — and grinning at the press while being led by a cop and an FBI agent. Read more at the link in our bio. <a href="https://t.co/9bg83J1HQ1">pic.twitter.com/9bg83J1HQ1</a>
— New York Post (@nypost) <a href="https://twitter.com/nypost/status/2031033866236960770?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 9, 2026</a></blockquote>
ISIS began using the gesture, a raised index finger accompanied by a slight shaking motion, in 2014. The gesture refers to Tawhid, the Islamic belief in the oneness of God.
When taken into custody on Saturday, Balat pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. He wrote, &#8220;All praise is due to Allah lord of all worlds. I pledge my allegiance to the Islamic State. Die in your rage yu [sic] kuffar,&#8221; on a sheet of paper at the police precinct. Police body cam footage showed Balat saying, &#8220;this isn&#8217;t a religion that just stands when people talk about the blessed name of the prophet &#8230; We take action! We take action!&#8221; and &#8220;if I didn&#8217;t do it someone else will come and do it.&#8221;
A federal complaint released Monday adds that Balat stated he wanted to carry out an attack bigger than the Boston Marathon bombing, which Balat said caused &#8220;only three deaths.&#8221;
Eighteen-year-old Balat was arrested Saturday along with 19-year-old Ibrahim Kayumi after an explosive device was thrown into a crowd of protesters and police officers. Balat and Kayumi are no longer being held by the NYPD and will instead be held on federal charges pending further court proceedings.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, “Once again, we were fortunate that the devices used this weekend did not cause the kind of harm that they were certainly capable of causing, but luck is never a strategy.” Tisch added that if the weapons had detonated, they could have caused serious injury or death.
Balat and Kayumi traveled from Pennsylvania to New York City on Saturday morning. Both reportedly grew up in affluent neighborhoods. Balat’s home in Langhorne, Pennsylvania, is estimated to be worth $653,000, while Kayumi’s home is valued at approximately $2.25 million. Balat&#8217;s parents were born in Turkey, and Kayumi&#8217;s are from Afghanistan, <a href="https://x.com/annaschecter/status/2030817903746965817">according to</a> federal officials.

Right-Wing Activists Protest Against New York Mayor Mamdani Outside Gracie Mansion

WATCH: Suspected NYC Terrorist Flashes ISIS Salute Three Times

new york city

Radical Islamic Terror

turkey

Many people are asking questions about what happens to Iran after the ayatollahs are gone. It will almost certainly be better than what it was.
The only way America would be worse off would be if the regime in Tehran were replaced by a regime run by even worse ayatollahs with even faster access to nuclear materials, ballistic missile development, and terror funding.
President Trump <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpE3VmD3XN8">said</a>:
<blockquote>I guess the worst case would be, we do this and then somebody takes over who&#8217;s as bad as the previous person, right? That could happen. We don&#8217;t want that to happen. It would probably be worse if you go through this and then, in five years, you realize you put somebody in who was no better. So we&#8217;d like to see somebody in there that&#8217;s going to bring it back for the people.</blockquote>
The president is correct. And you could see from his rather dismissive smile that he does not think the “worst thing” is going to happen.
There are a ton of people out there on the Left and the horseshoe Right ignoring the simple fact that the ayatollahs are the worst possible regime. These people yell about the evils of regime change, about the dangers of long-standing occupation with boots on the ground, etc.
Let&#8217;s cover all of that right now. Let&#8217;s start with regime change. We keep hearing about how regime change is dangerous, a failure.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/ep-2381-the-ben-shapiro-show"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-974957" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp" alt="DailyWire+" width="1024" height="171" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1024x171.webp 1024w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-300x50.webp 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-768x128.webp 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-1536x256.webp 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/09/511983dad25841c8b1ec058d75769bbe-2048x341.webp 2048w" sizes=" (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></a>
Chuck Schumer, the Senate minority leader and pathological liar, <a href="https://x.com/FoxNews/status/2029312438068494585?s=20">said</a>,
<blockquote>Americans spent the last two decades fighting and dying in the Middle East. Parents watch their kids shipped off to foreign lands. So many lives lost, so many billions wasted, so much suffering and anguish that scarred an entire generation. Why is Donald Trump hellbent on making history repeat itself? Why is he plunging America headfirst into a war that Americans do not want, and which he cannot even explain?”</blockquote>
Schumer is a wildly dishonest player.
He&#8217;s been yelling about the ayatollahs for years, but then apparently quietly supporting the JCPOA, which was Obama’s attempt to ship pallets of cash to the ayatollahs and give them a ten-year runway to a nuclear bomb. But the truth is, he only cares enough to yell a little bit. And then he turns around, and he yells at anyone who actually wants to do something about the ayatollahs.
But let&#8217;s talk about that term, regime change. Regime change implies a long-standing commitment in which the United States engages in serious nation-building efforts.
Sometimes that works. Germany, Japan, and South Korea are prime examples.
Sometimes it doesn&#8217;t work. Afghanistan would be the prime example.
Iraq is actually a checkered example. We forget about Iraq and what happened afterward; Iraq is indeed a functioning but fragile quasi-democracy with a nominal GDP roughly 10 to 15 times larger than it was under Saddam Hussein. The current regime has real problems and is associated with a wide variety of sectarian groups, but it is certainly better than Saddam&#8217;s, even if most Americans believe that the cost wasn&#8217;t worth it.
That&#8217;s a fair argument against the war in Iraq, but not against the principle of regime change overall.
In Iran, we&#8217;re not really talking about regime change in the technical sense, because regime change refers, generally, to an American-overseen process of government building where we put hundreds of thousands of troops on the ground, and then ensure every step of the governmental transition.
What we&#8217;re talking about with Iran is regime destruction or replacement, where we knock over the regime and let it fall, but we don&#8217;t actually participate in long-term nation-building.
Sometimes that works, and sometimes it doesn&#8217;t, because it turns out that history is complicated.
There are many examples of regime replacement or regime destruction. Some of those are failures. For example, in Libya, we provided air support to rebels to take out Muammar Gaddafi, which was a huge mistake that I opposed at the time. And then we let the country take its own course. That led to a massive migration crisis and an all-out civil war that continues to this day.
Why was that a mistake? Because Gaddafi was actually contained, and the people rebelling against him were a checkered group of sundry terrorists and others.
And then there&#8217;s Iran itself, where the Carter administration essentially withdrew support from the Shah of Iran, and we have been suffering with the consequences ever since.
But there are more positive examples. In Chile, we created the pressure that led to the coup against the Marxist Salvador Allende, who was replaced by General Augusto Pinochet, who was an anti-communist and also a human rights abuser, but who began instituting capitalist mechanisms that eventually led to prosperity and, under American pressure, democratization. In fact, we are the ones who pressured Pinochet out of power. He thought about another military coup when he lost an election, and we said, we will not support anything remotely like that. You&#8217;re giving up power.
Or, for example, Panama, where we deposed Manuel Noriega. We then installed the winner of the prior election, and things have worked out pretty well.
And, of course, that&#8217;s pretty much what we just did in Venezuela, where we destroyed the top of the regime and then left a second person in place. And now that person, Delcy Rodriguez, is basically being squeezed until she squeaks.
She put out a statement yesterday <a href="https://x.com/delcyrodriguezv/status/2029303103980245356">saying</a>,
<blockquote>I thank President Trump for the willingness of his government to work together on an agenda that strengthens binational cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of the United States and Venezuela.</blockquote>
In other words, not all “regime change” is alike. It&#8217;s not always Iraq. And pretending that it is, is ignorant. There&#8217;s a reason why Venezuela was handled one way and why Iran is being handled in another. And it&#8217;s not necessarily because Venezuela is in the Western Hemisphere. It&#8217;s because Iran is run by a fundamentalist Islamist death cult.
In order to truly understand how evil the ayatollahs are, let Patrick Bet David, who has some experience in this area, explain.
He said of <a href="https://x.com/PBDsPodcast/status/2028496943891226896">the original</a> Ayatollah Khomeini:
<blockquote>You guys want to know what Khomeini once said about what to do to women in prison? He once said female prisoners who are virgins must be raped before execution to prevent them from entering heaven. Isn&#8217;t he an amazing guy to say something like that? That&#8217;s the guy that died — when he died, I was in Iran, June 3, 89 — I was there when the guy died. They didn&#8217;t kill him. He died. This guy who was supposed to be a hero for them? “Female prisoners who are virgins must be raped before execution.” &#8230; No human being – You would never write that. You would never subscribe to that.</blockquote>
Not all regime change is the same.

TOPSHOT-ITALY-IRAN-POLITICS-PROTEST

Regime Change Vs. Regime Replacement: Lessons From History

Ben Shapiro

Iraq

middle east

U.S. Military

Pakistan&#8217;s defense minister said Thursday that it was now “open war” between Pakistan and Afghanistan after violent border clashes, as both countries traded accusations over the escalating conflict.  
Afghanistan has been governed by the Taliban since the American withdrawal in 2021.
Afghan forces launched “preemptive” attacks Thursday on Pakistani military bases along the 1,640-mile border shared by the two countries, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said. Pakistan responded with airstrikes and cross-border attacks targeting Taliban military posts. 
“In response to repeated border violations and provocations from Pakistani military circles, extensive preemptive operations have been launched against Pakistani military centers and paramilitary installations along the Durand Line,” Mujahid wrote on social media Thursday.  The Durand Line is the disputed border between the two countries.
Pakistan, a nuclear power, called the Afghan attacks “unprovoked” and said its military had begun retaliatory strikes. 
“Taliban regime forces are being delivered punishment in Chitral, Khyber, Mohmand, Kurram and Bajaur sectors. Early reports confirm heavy casualties on Afghan side with multiple posts and equipment destroyed,” Pakistan&#8217;s Ministry of Information posted on X. 
The Pakistani response included airstrikes on the cities of Kabul and Kandahar. The Taliban said no one was injured in those strikes. 
Pakistan spokesman Mosharraf Zaidi <a href="https://x.com/mosharrafzaidi/status/2027154359491174519">said</a> the cross-border attacks had killed 133 Taliban fighters and wounded an additional 200. He added that 27 Taliban posts were destroyed and nine were captured. 
In a later statement, Pakistan’s defense minister Khawaja Asif accused Afghanistan of becoming a “proxy for India” and harboring terrorists. 
“The Taliban turned Afghanistan into a colony of India. They gathered all the terrorists of the world in Afghanistan and began exporting terrorism. They deprived their own people of basic human rights,” Asif said. “Pakistan made every effort to keep the situation normal through direct means and through friendly countries. It engaged in full-fledged diplomacy. But the Taliban became a proxy for India.”
“Our cup of patience has overflowed. Now it is open war between us and you,” he added. “We are your neighbors; we know your ins and outs.”
Last weekend, Pakistan <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/afghanistan-has-launched-retaliatory-attacks-pakistani-border-posts-taliban-2026-02-26/">launched</a> airstrikes in Eastern Afghanistan at locations it said were being used by Islamic State terrorists. After those strikes, the Taliban said it would give an &#8220;appropriate and measured response.&#8221; 
The violent exchanges follow a ceasefire agreement reached in October 2025 after similar deadly clashes along the border.

Nuclear Power Declares ‘Open War’ — What Just Erupted Along A Fragile Border

Global Politics

politics

The man accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., in November, killing one and seriously wounding the other victim, made his first court appearance on Wednesday morning.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was in the United States as a refugee, pleaded not guilty to nine charges, which include a first-degree murder charge and multiple assault and weapons counts. Lakanwal allegedly drove to the capital from Bellingham, Washington, and opened fire on National Guard troops the day before Thanksgiving, killing Sarah Beckstrom and wounding Andrew Wolfe.
Lakanwal, who was shot by return fire, is being held without bond as his trial plays out. His next court date is scheduled for May 6.
Lakanwal&#8217;s first court appearance was originally scheduled for mid-January but was moved back to Wednesday to give his defense team more time to prepare after two additional counts of assault were added onto the charges. The federal murder charge against Lakanwal makes him eligible for the death penalty if he&#8217;s convicted, and shortly after the shooting, Attorney General Pam Bondi said that the federal government would seek it. Prosecutors said again on Wednesday that they could pursue the death penalty.
<h3>What we know about the shooting:</h3>
The National Guard troops from West Virginia were shot in what authorities have described as an ambush-style attack. Beckstrom and Wolfe, who were both patrolling the streets of D.C. as part of President Donald Trump&#8217;s crime crackdown in the nation&#8217;s capital, were shot in the back of the head with a .357 Smith &amp; Wesson revolver, according to court documents. Two National Guard majors who were nearby returned fire and struck the alleged shooter, who was subdued until law enforcement and first responders arrived on the scene.
D.C. Superior Court Judge Renee Raymond, who ordered Lakanwal to remain detained without bond, said that it appeared the suspect drove across the country &#8220;with a specific purpose in mind.&#8221;
<h3>What we know about the suspect:</h3>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/suspected-national-guard-shooter-was-radicalized-through-connections-in-afghanistan-noem-says">Lakanwal</a> was allowed to enter the United States under former President Joe Biden after he served alongside U.S. troops in Afghanistan as part of a unit that was backed by the CIA. The Afghan national settled in Bellingham, Washington, with his wife and children, but the Associated Press reported that he struggled to find a job and assimilate into American culture.
A community advocate who worked to help refugees wrote an email to the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants in January 2024 stating that Lakanwal “has not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year, 03/2023. He quit his job that month, and his behavior has changed greatly.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in late November that Lakanwal was &#8220;radicalized&#8221; through &#8220;connections&#8221; he had in Afghanistan after being granted asylum in the United States. President Trump called the shooting a “terrorist attack” and said that the suspect “went nuts.”
“It happens too often with these people,” he added.
Noem also accused the Biden administration of failing to properly vet refugees following the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan. Lakanwal’s asylum claim was approved in April under the Trump administration, but Noem claimed that &#8220;the vetting process all happened under Joe Biden’s administration.&#8221;
Lakanwal lived at an apartment unit owned by the Bellingham Housing Authority, a local government agency that provides housing for low-income people, according to a police report obtained by The Daily Wire. Body cam footage and police communications reviewed by The Daily Wire from the night the suspect&#8217;s home was raided revealed that three people — two males and one female — were inside the apartment at the time of the raid.
<h3>What we know about the victims:</h3>
Beckstrom, who was pronounced dead at a hospital on November 27, was a 20-year-old military police officer with the 863rd Military Police Company of the West Virginia Army National Guard. After graduating from Webster County High School with honors, Beckstrom enlisted in the West Virginia Army National Guard in 2023. While serving in the National Guard, Beckstrom was also enrolled at Glenville State University, where she pursued mental health studies. She was awarded the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Army Service Ribbon, West Virginia Legion of Merit, the D.C. Distinguished Service Medal, and the D.C. Humanitarian Service Medal.
&#8220;Unit members described her as a quiet professional who exemplified dedication and always put others above herself,&#8221; the National Guard <a href="https://www.nationalguard.mil/News/Article-View/Article/4357078/spc-sarah-beckstrom-laid-to-rest-at-west-virginia-national-cemetery/">said</a>. &#8220;Many recalled her quick smile, infectious laughter and her ability to inspire others. She was an observant people-watcher who loved exploring and spent her off-duty hours in the District taking in museums and overall city life, her family members said.&#8221;
Wolfe posted a message on social media on Tuesday, saying that he is &#8220;grateful to be alive&#8221; and thanking people for their &#8220;prayers and support.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s been hard to go through something like this. Thank you for everything,&#8221; he added.
Earlier this week, Wolfe&#8217;s mother <a href="https://www.facebook.com/melody.wolfe.739/posts/pfbid0QDQ14Vmhnj9rkF4qwPDBErZuvLvQyjKYZxBg8dhj2uxrdGniUV8w7C6LTptKt9MJl?rdid=kZaw5eJrBRfHVNoX#">wrote</a> that the National Guardsman would have skull reconstruction surgery in March.
&#8220;Mentally, he is dealing with a language disorder called aphasia,&#8221; Melody Wolfe said. &#8220;There are different levels and he is currently in a middle stage. He can most often understand what we are saying, but has difficulty saying the words he wants to say. Over the past 6 weeks though, he’s made great strides and started out almost non verbal. So, in just a little over two months since the attack, he’s already working beyond the expectations that were anticipated.&#8221;

Rahmanullah Lakanwal

Afghan Refugee Charged In National Guard Shooting Appears In Court As Death Penalty Looms

courts

national guard

shooting

U.S.

Washington D.C.

WASHINGTON—The State Department is shutting down a Biden-era program that allowed Afghan allies to enter the United States, citing serious concerns about President Joe Biden&#8217;s failure to follow security procedures in vetting Afghans.
The Biden administration set up the refugee program at Camp As Sayliyah in Doha, Qatar, to support Afghan allies who fled their country during the botched Afghanistan withdrawal.
Around 1,300 Afghans <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/afghan-refugees-us-camp-as-sayliyah-844d4c89?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcmolnrTV32c1lCdvly5ZZ9yXtjEnKPg3YdJUdmDRWrcQnKpmoZZZSPb_nsx_o%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6967aa02&amp;gaa_sig=Jv4emKo41qUqizTkV659y3ZHqrpn9wYfWdpr5tECaucKk9YeZddz9KDkNS4T0q62sQHbC1EcyGQOLTiZARMLwQ%3D%3D">have been waiting</a> at the former American military base for years, in cramped living conditions, to enter the United States. Many of them have feared that they will be returned to Afghanistan, where they will be tortured and killed for working with the United States.
As of Wednesday, The Daily Wire can first report, the State Department says that the Biden administration&#8217;s failure to properly vet these Afghans, throwing standard security procedures out the window during the withdrawal, will prevent them from ultimately entering the United States. They will be sent to &#8220;a third country&#8221; — though what country this is, the State Department has not yet confirmed.
A State Department spokesperson shared that the Afghan nationals who are currently at Camp As Sayliyah &#8220;do not have a viable pathway&#8221; to the United States and that hundreds of these nationals have &#8220;derogatory information&#8221; that presents serious security concerns.
But President Donald Trump does not want these vulnerable groups of people to be forced to go back to Afghanistan &#8220;under the brutal Taliban regime,&#8221; particularly the women and girls, so the United States has presented the Afghan nationals at the camp with a &#8220;safe, third-country option for resettlement.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1027715" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-shuts-down-biden-era-afghan-refugee-program/afghan-refugees-arrive-at-dulles-airport-after-us-pulls-out-final-troops-2" rel="attachment wp-att-1027715"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1027715" class="wp-image-1027715 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1337456532.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>Refugees walk through the departure terminal to a bus at Dulles International Airport after being evacuated from Kabul following the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan on August 31, 2021, in Dulles, Virginia.  (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)</div>
The State Department says that it&#8217;s neither appropriate nor humane to keep the Camp As Sayliyah group as is, saying that a large minority of the population are women and children who are living in a confined space without much freedom to move around. <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/afghan-refugees-us-camp-as-sayliyah-844d4c89?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=AWEtsqcmolnrTV32c1lCdvly5ZZ9yXtjEnKPg3YdJUdmDRWrcQnKpmoZZZSPb_nsx_o%3D&amp;gaa_ts=6967aa02&amp;gaa_sig=Jv4emKo41qUqizTkV659y3ZHqrpn9wYfWdpr5tECaucKk9YeZddz9KDkNS4T0q62sQHbC1EcyGQOLTiZARMLwQ%3D%3D">According to the Wall Street Journal</a>, residents at the program spend most of their time inside due to the blazing desert temperatures, typically walking around the hangars or scrolling on their phones.
State believes that moving the group to &#8220;a third country&#8221; is a &#8220;positive resolution&#8221; that will offer the Afghan nationals safety and the opportunity to start new lives — and at the same time, protect the American people.
&#8220;The United States has kept its promise to those Afghans who risked their lives to support the U.S. government during our attempts to help Afghans build a better country for themselves,&#8221; the State Department spokesperson shared.
&#8220;We have resettled roughly 400,000 Afghans since 2001,&#8221; the spokesman added. &#8220;It is now more than four and a half years since the United States withdrew from Afghanistan. It is long past time to move past this decades-long conflict, so costly in blood and treasure, and look ahead to the future.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_1027709" style="width: 874px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-state-department-shuts-down-biden-era-afghan-refugee-program/us-and-european-defence-forces-assist-in-evacuations-from-afghanistan-following-taliban-takeover-5" rel="attachment wp-att-1027709"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1027709" class="wp-image-1027709 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-864x576.jpg" alt="" width="864" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-864x576.jpg 864w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2026/01/GettyImages-1234843735.jpg 1024w" sizes=" (max-width: 864px) 100vw, 864px" /></a>In this handout image, Sgt. Juan Miranda, culinary specialist, 155th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, files in Afghan Special Immigrants into the dining facility, August 20, 2021, at Camp As Sayliyah, Qatar. (Photo by Sgt. Jimmie Baker / U.S. Army via Getty Images)</div>
The move comes on the heels of the tragic Thanksgiving week attack on members of the National Guard in Washington, D.C. Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/pr/lakanwal-newly-indicted-shooting-guardsmen-near-white-house-killed-sarah-beckstrom">was brought into the country</a> by the Biden administration in 2021, shot and killed Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe in an ambush-style attack on November 26.
Lakanwal was one of many thousands of Afghan nationals who were flown out of Afghanistan without proper vetting and put on &#8220;U.S.-controlled platforms for an eventual pathway to the United States.&#8221;
He is not the only Afghan national who has attempted to kill Americans: Abdullah Haji Zada and Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi were sentenced for intent to conduct a terrorist act in Oklahoma in October 2024, and Jamal Wali was killed in Fairfax, Virginia, after opening fire on police officers during a routine traffic stop in April 2025.
Two days after Lakanwal&#8217;s attack, and about 24 hours after President Trump pledged to dramatically shake up the United States immigration system in response, the State Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/state-department-orders-posts-to-refuse-visas-to-afghan-nationals?author=Mary+Margaret+Olohan&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=25&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+List&amp;title=State+Department+Takes+Action+On+Afghan+Nationals+Following+Trump+Pledge">directed its posts</a> to refuse visas to Afghan nationals using Afghan passports.
Trump argued at the time that the “refugee burden is the leading cause of social dysfunction in America.”
“As an example, hundreds of thousands of refugees from Somalia are completely taking over the once great State of Minnesota,” the president said. “Somalian gangs are roving the streets looking for ‘prey’ as our wonderful people stay locked in their apartments and houses hoping against hope that they will be left alone.”
On December 3, the president <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-halts-immigration-from-19-high-risk-countries-following-national-guard-shooting">paused the processing</a> of all immigration applications for individuals from 19 “high-risk countries&#8221;: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen, Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela.
And in mid-December, the president <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/12/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-further-restricts-and-limits-the-entry-of-foreign-nationals-to-protect-the-security-of-the-united-states/">signed a proclamation</a> expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with &#8220;demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing to protect the Nation from national security and public safety threats.&#8221;

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-CONFLICT

EXCLUSIVE: State Department Shuts Down Biden-Era Afghan Refugee Program

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state department

The Afghan national accused of killing one National Guard soldier and injuring another in a Thanksgiving week attack in Washington, D.C., could now face the death penalty after prosecutors moved the case to federal court.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has filed a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-dc/media/1421951/dl?inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">criminal complaint</a> against 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, charging him with two federal firearms offenses: transporting or shipping a stolen firearm in interstate commerce and transporting or receiving firearms in interstate or foreign commerce with intent to commit a crime. Lakanwal is also charged with first-degree premeditated murder while armed, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, and assault with intent to kill while armed.
The federal charges bring the case to the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia from the D.C. Superior Court. Lakanwal is accused of gunning down U.S. Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both members of the West Virginia National Guard, while they patrolled the streets of the nation&#8217;s capital. Beckstrom died from her wounds just a day after the attack, while Wolfe was critically injured and still in recovery, but expected to survive. 
“The transfer of this case from Superior Court to District Court ensures that we can undertake the serious, deliberate, and weighty analysis required to determine if the death penalty is appropriate here,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. “Sarah Beckstrom was just 20 years old when she was killed and her parents are now forced to endure the holiday season without their daughter. Andrew Wolfe, by the grace of God, survived but has a long road ahead in his recovery.”
The federal complaint filed Tuesday says that Lakanwal “purposely and with deliberate and premeditated malice, killed Beckstrom by shooting her in the head with a firearm. Your affiant also asserts that, by shooting Wolfe in the head with a firearm, LAKANWAL assaulted Wolfe with intent to kill him.”
Lakanwal, who was shot during the attack, pleaded not guilty to the D.C. charges earlier this month. 
According to the complaint, the weapon used in the shooting was a stolen .357 Smith &amp; Wesson revolver. Prosecutors say on October 15, Lakanwal sent photos of an AR-15 and a pistol to an unnamed individual in Washington, where he lived, along with the message, “find this stuff for me.”
<div class="image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1019681" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-7.39.07-AM.png" alt="DOJ. " width="1049" height="667" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-7.39.07-AM.png 1049w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-7.39.07-AM-300x191.png 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-7.39.07-AM-906x576.png 906w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2025/12/Screenshot-2025-12-24-at-7.39.07-AM-768x488.png 768w" sizes=" (max-width: 1049px) 100vw, 1049px" /></div>
“I’m doing [Lyft] an[d] Uber so I will need one of them[.]” Lakanwal allegedly said. The unidentified person replied by saying, “I wish I could help brother but the laws here are to[o] strict[.]”
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The criminal complaint states that Lakanwal had not provided a Lyft ride since May, and that a family member told investigators his Uber account had been banned.
The unidentified individual later supplied Lakanwal with the revolver, which had been stolen from a Seattle home in May 2023, according to the complaint. The person who furnished the weapon told investigators he believed Lakanwal wanted it “for personal protection while working as a rideshare driver.”
After obtaining the firearm, Lakanwal is alleged to have purchased ammunition the following day. Two hours later, Lakanwal searched “Washington, D.C.” and “The White House” in Google Maps, according to the complaint.

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department of justice

jeanine pirro

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