ISLAMABAD: United States Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has said that at least 2,000 Afghan refugees who entered America following the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan have links to terrorism or are suspected of involvement in terrorist activities.
Gabbard made the remarks during a television interview on Fox & Friends morning show, stating that more than 100,000 Afghan nationals were allowed into the country after what she described as the “disastrous withdrawal of the Biden administration,” without adequate security screening.
“The majority of them were not screened in accordance with required standards,” Gabbard said.
She said the lack of proper vetting posed serious national security concerns, particularly given ongoing threats from extremist groups.
Gabbard’s comments followed testimony by Joe Kent, director of the US National Counterterrorism Center, who told a hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security that approximately 18,000 individuals identified as “known or suspected terrorists” were permitted to enter the United States during the Biden administration.
The Director of National Intelligence said the Trump administration is now working closely with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure that individuals suspected of extremist links are located and removed from the country.
“Those who pose a threat must be identified and deported,” she said.
Gabbard warned that continued activity and planning by Daesh and al-Qaeda heighten the risks associated with such individuals.
“This represents the greatest short-term and long-term threat to the security of the American people and to democratic values,” she said.
Her remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of refugee screening processes following the arrest of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan refugee accused of carrying out an armed attack on two National Guard soldiers in Washington, DC.
