Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan man suspected of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., was in the U.S. after arriving in 2021 under a program called Operation Allies Welcome (OAW). His motives remain unknown. Below is an explanation of why OAW was created and how Afghan arrivals were vetted.
The origins of Operation Allies Welcome
When Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021, chaotic scenes at the airport saw thousands of Afghans desperate to escape. The U.S. withdrawal, set in motion by the 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement, culminated in mass evacuations in August 2021.
President Biden announced the end of U.S. military operations on Aug. 31, 2021, noting the unprecedented airlift of evacuees and directing continued assistance for Afghans at risk. Two days earlier he instructed the Department of Homeland Security to lead federal efforts to support vulnerable Afghans and help them resettle in the United States.
Those efforts were called Operation Allies Welcome. The program allowed Afghans—particularly those who worked with U.S. forces or allies and who might face Taliban retaliation—to enter the U.S. on parole for two years without permanent immigration status, with the expectation they would pursue other paths to remain, such as asylum. About 40% of evacuees were eligible for Special Immigrant Visas because of work with the U.S. or family ties to those who helped U.S. forces.
OAW operated for roughly a year before transitioning into a longer-term effort called Operation Enduring Welcome. Together, the programs helped nearly 200,000 Afghans resettle in the United States.
How were they vetted?
DHS said evacuees underwent “rigorous” vetting involving about 400 personnel from multiple agencies. Vetting included biometric and biographic checks—fingerprints, photos and other data—reviewed by intelligence, law enforcement and counterterrorism professionals. After arrival, Afghans were further processed at U.S. military bases before entering communities.
Critics, mainly Republican lawmakers, argued some evacuees were not fully vetted. A 2024 DHS Office of Inspector General report found shortcomings, including data inaccuracies in some files. A Justice Department report examined the FBI’s role and noted that the urgency of evacuation sometimes overtook standard procedures, increasing the risk that bad actors could exploit expedited processing. That report found 55 evacuees later appeared on terrorism watch lists, but concluded the FBI largely did well in flagging potential threats and that most evacuees were not security risks.
What’s the situation now?
After the November shooting of National Guard members, President Trump called for re-examining Afghans admitted under OAW. Others, including former intelligence officials, commented on the decision to bring certain individuals to the U.S. in 2021 because of prior work with U.S. agencies.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced a pause in processing immigration applications from Afghan nationals shortly after the shootings. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Afghans remain in limbo: around the world more than 40,000 are actively seeking U.S. resettlement and over 10,000 have already been approved to relocate. Veterans and advocacy groups have urged officials not to abandon Afghans who worked with U.S. forces.
