Kabul – Richard Bennett, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, and refugee advocacy groups have urged the U.S. not to target Afghan migrants following a shooting incident near the White House.
“I agree with shawnjvandriver that the perpetrator should face accountability but the entire Afghan community must not be punished due to the actions of one individual. That would be terribly unjust and complete nonsense. Cool heads must prevail.” Bennet emphasised.
The shooting involved Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan citizen who arrived in the U.S. in September 2021, who critically wounded two U.S. National Guard soldiers on Wednesday, November 26.
In response, former President Donald Trump called for a review of all Afghan citizens admitted to the U.S. during the Biden administration. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced it would halt processing all Afghan immigration applications until further notice.
Additionally, Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, an alliance of former soldiers assisting Afghan refugees, warned:
“We will not allow the actions of one crazy individual to be used as an excuse to harm an entire community. None of us want to be defined by someone else’s actions, and we encourage media, elected leaders, and decision-makers not to portray the Afghan community as defined by this one evil act.
Meanwhile, Nasir Ahmad Faiq, Afghanistan’s Chargé d’Affaires to the UN, also condemned the recent attack that killed two U.S. National Guard soldiers, offering condolences to the families and emphasizing that such violence is unacceptable and communities should not be blamed for the actions of individuals.
Bennett and refugee rights advocates have stressed that driven actions could jeopardize the safety and future of thousands of Afghan refugees awaiting immigration processing.
