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

Afghanistan

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

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

Opinion

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.

TOPSHOT-AFGHANISTAN-PAKISTAN-CONFLICT

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

Global Politics

Pakistan

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.

President Trump Orders Hundreds More National Guard Troops to D.C. After Shooting Of Guardsmen

Trump Wants Death Penalty For Afghanistan Man Charged In Deadly National Guard Shooting

Department of Justice

Jeanine Pirro

The consequences of the botched Afghanistan withdrawal during the Biden administration have made their way to the American homeland after the deadly National Guard shooting in Washington, D.C., according to many Republicans, including Senator Jim Banks (R-IN), who was deployed to Afghanistan while serving in the Navy.
Shortly following the suspect’s identification as an Afghan national, Banks immediately called for proper vetting of individuals who came into the country as refugees following the withdrawal from Afghanistan. In a Thursday interview with The Daily Wire on Capitol Hill, Banks elaborated on why he “predicted that this would happen.&#8221;
“If you flood the country with unvetted Afghan nationals, we knew that there would be a large population within that group who were aligned with terrorists, and now this is playing out and proving to be true,” Banks said.
“Go back and vet all of them,” the senator said, further adding that the role of Congress should be to support the president and “fund the effort to do that.&#8221; The &#8220;One Big Beautiful Bill Act,&#8221; which passed in July, paved the way for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hire thousands of agents, along with providing funding for immigration and border security measures.
“And all of them who weren&#8217;t properly vetted — every single one of them — should be vetted. And if they shouldn&#8217;t be in the United States, then they should be sent back to where they came from,&#8221; the Republican said.
“I served in Afghanistan, I served with translators and Afghan troops and others, and I can just tell you, not every single one of them should be allowed to come to the United States,” Banks continued.
“They should be vetted. Just because they did something in Afghanistan during the war that &#8230; aligned with America, doesn&#8217;t mean that they support American values, and no one should &#8230; be allowed to come to America that doesn&#8217;t love America,” he added.
Banks noted that the country&#8217;s immigration woes are arguably what won President Donald Trump a second term in 2024, adding that “he has a mandate to do what he’s doing.”
Millions of people were let into the U.S. through asylum and parole programs, as well as by illegally crossing the southern border, during the Biden administration. Roughly 14 million immigrants &#8220;unauthorized&#8221; to be in the U.S. were in the country as of 2023, according to the <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/race-and-ethnicity/2025/08/21/u-s-unauthorized-immigrant-population-reached-a-record-14-million-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pew Research Center</a>. As for Afghans who entered after the withdrawal, they came in through Operation Allies Welcome and other programs.
The suspect in the deadly National Guard shooting last month in Washington, D.C., Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, reportedly worked alongside the CIA as a member of &#8220;Zero Unit&#8221; in Afghanistan. Rahmanullah has also dealt with mental health issues since coming to the United States.
The deadly shooting killed Sarah Beckstrom and seriously injured another National Guard member, Andrew Wolfe, who remains in serious condition, CNN <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/02/us/national-guard-andrew-wolfe">reported</a>.
Following the National Guard tragedy, Trump ordered the immigration processes for individuals from 19 “high-risk” nations halted to allow for “a thorough re-review process,” according to a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services policy memorandum from Dec. 2.
&#8220;In light of identified concerns and the threat to the American people, USCIS has determined that a comprehensive re-review, potential interview, and re-interview of all aliens from high-risk countries of concern who entered the United States on or after January 20, 2021 is necessary,&#8221; the memo stated. &#8220;Lastly, USCIS may, when appropriate, extend this review and re-interview process to aliens who entered the United States outside of this timeframe.&#8221;
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“We must now reexamine every single alien who has entered our country from Afghanistan under Biden, and we must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here or add benefit to our country,” Trump said in the immediate aftermath of the Nov. 26 shooting.
As for the suspect in the shooting, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told NBC News&#8217; &#8220;Meet the Press,&#8221; &#8220;We believe he was radicalized since he has been here in this country. We do believe that it was through connections in his home community and state.&#8221;
The Indiana senator pointed out that even though the withdrawal from Afghanistan was in 2021, “there hasn’t been a successful effort for accountability in its aftermath.”
During the exit of American troops, 13 American soldiers died in an ISIS-K attack, and the Taliban regained control of the country.

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Veteran Serving In Congress Demands Vetting Of Afghan Nationals After Deadly National Guard Shooting

Afghan War Vet In Senate Stresses Importance Of Vetting After National Guard Shooting

Immigration

Jim Banks

Senate

Washington DC

A day before 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal opened fire on two National Guardsmen patrolling near the White House, the NGO that reportedly settled the shooter in the United States condemned President Donald Trump for ordering further vetting of refugees.
On November 25, World Relief, one of nine voluntary organizations contracted by the State Department to facilitate housing and employment assistance for refugees, issued a <a href="https://worldrelief.org/pr-world-relief-condemns-a-uscis-memo-halting-green-card-processing-for-200000-refugees-calling-it-destabilizing-and-morally-unjust/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a> in response to an internal memo from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) requiring additional scrutiny of all refugees who entered the country during the Biden administration.
In the statement, World Relief president and CEO Myal Greene called the additional vetting a “moral and ethical betrayal of due process,” and VP Matt Soerens said that it would “retraumatiz[e]” refugees brought to the United States.
The following day, according to witnesses, Lakanwal fired on the guards while shouting, “Allahu akbar.” Twenty-year-old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom died from her wounds, and 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe is still in serious condition.
Greene insisted in World Relief’s statement that the Afghans had been sufficiently vetted.
“Refugees admitted under the U.S. refugee resettlement program have undergone some of the most rigorous vetting of any immigrant lawfully admitted into the United States, yet this sweeping re-interview initiative is nothing less than a calculated effort to strip lawful status from thoroughly-vetted, law-abiding people,” he said.
But according to a 2022 Department of Homeland Security inspector general report released under Biden appointee Alejandro Mayorkas, the chaos of the Afghanistan withdrawal left significant gaps in information, and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) often lacked significant data for the entries, such as “name, date of birth, identification number, and travel document data.” In one sample of 88,977 evacuee records, 417 lacked first names, 242 lacked last names, 11,110 had January 1 birthdates, and 7,800 had missing or invalid travel documents.
“We also determined CBP admitted or paroled evacuees who were not fully vetted into the United States,” DHS investigators concluded.
A <a href="about:blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2024 DHS report</a> involving three Department of Homeland Security divisions — CBP, USCIS, and ICE — similarly found that CBP did not always have critical data to properly screen, vet, or inspect the evacuees and that DHS’s “fragmented” process resulted in chaotic conditions that led to lost information and background checks that were deferred until after departure from Afghanistan. During his April 2025 confirmation hearing, Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Joe Kent <a href="https://www.mei.edu/publications/thousands-once-protected-afghan-refugees-united-states-face-deportation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that after reviewing data from the National Counterterrorism Center, he found that more than 1,400 Afghans with suspected links to ISIS had been admitted into the country.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/27/us/guard-shooting-suspect-profile.html#:~:text=Mr.%20Lakanwal's%20unit%20was%20based,who%20had%20helped%20U.S.%20troops" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on November 27 that World Relief was involved with resettling Lakanwal in Washington State, but since then, the organization has declined to elaborate, telling NPR they “cannot confirm whether or not [they] have served any specific client without permission from [their] federal government partners who administered the process for bringing Afghans to the United States beginning in 2021.”
What is known is that the State Department designated Whatcom County, Washington, which includes Bellingham, where Lakanwal resided, as a resettlement site for Afghan evacuees under Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). World Relief’s local office there was tasked with aiding refugees’ initial integration.
While the NGO, founded in 1944 by the National Association of Evangelicals, once relied almost entirely on private contributions, today the bulk of its funding comes from the federal government.
In 2021, it received <a href="about:blank" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$56 million in federal grants and contracts</a> and only $13 million in private contributions. Through its work with the Soros-funded <a href="https://evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Evangelical Immigration Table</a>, World Relief is heavily involved in lobbying churches and evangelical organizations to back bills that would grant legal status to illegal immigrants.
In 2018, they launched the “<a href="https://evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/iwasastranger/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">I Was a Stranger” challenge</a>, a “40-day Scripture-reading guide composed of short Bible passages that relate in one way or another to the theme of immigration.” This curriculum, which many critics argue cherry-picks and manipulates Scripture for progressive policy aims, was sent to churches across the country, and Soerens’ work promoting it was published and promoted in influential evangelical publications like <a href="https://www.christianitytoday.com/2024/11/trump-deportation-immigration-temporary-protected-status/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christianity Today</a> and <a href="https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/profile/matthew-soerens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Gospel Coalition</a>.
The Daily Wire reached out to World Relief, and they responded with a statement from Soerens saying, “Based on news reports, the alleged perpetrator in the attack in Washington, D.C., did not enter the United States as a refugee and thus would not have been subject to the re-interview process to which our press release was responding.”
However, Trump’s order for further vetting of Afghan nationals admitted under the Biden administration also applies to those who entered the U.S. via humanitarian parole under OAW. It targets all Afghan arrivals from January 20, 2021, to February 20, 2025—including the ~76,000 OAW evacuees processed post-2021 U.S. withdrawal.
Soerens said World Relief stands by their statement of condemnation, and they have not changed their position opposing additional vetting of refugees.

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Alejandro Mayorkas

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