WASHINGTON: A third Afghan national has been arrested in the US, days after another Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two National Guards, for providing “material support to ISIS-K”, according to a statement issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday.
Jaan Shah Shafi, who entered the US in 2021 under former president Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, “provided support to the ISIS-K. He also provided weapons to his father, who is a commander of a militia group in Afghanistan,” the press release stated.
It further stated that Shafi applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but his application was terminated once DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ended TPS for Afghans. He was arrested in Waynesboro, Virginia.
The Trump administration halted the Afghan refugee resettlement program on January 20 and suspended the entry of Afghan nationals, for “protection and safety of Americans”.
Nearly 190,000 Afghan nationals entered the US during Biden administration, the statement read.
Lakanwal, who worked alongside US forces in Afghanistan, is accused of shooting two National Guard soldiers near White House last week, according to US media.
Another Afghan man Mohammad Dawood Alokozay was charged with threatening to build a bomb and carry out a suicide attack, according to the US officials.
