DoD Watchdog to Investigate Potentially Dangerous Afghans Allowed Into US Despite Being on Watchlist
The Department of Defense (DoD) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is all set to investigate whistleblower allegations that hundreds of Afghan refugees were allowed into the United States despite appearing on the department’s Biometrically Enabled Watchlist (BEWL).
“As part of our ongoing body of work on Afghan evacuees, we are initiating an evaluation, to commence in the first quarter of FY 2023, to address your questions pertaining to the DoD’s role in reviewing DoD databases for information on Afghan evacuees when requested by other agencies,” said a Sept. 6 letter by DoD Acting Inspector General Sean W. O’Donnell to Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ron Johnson (R-Wis.).
Whistleblower Allegations
The letter was in response to an Aug. 4 letter sent by Johnson and Hawley to O’Donnell which brought attention to the whistleblower allegations.
The senators had highlighted O’Donnell’s previous report titled “Evaluation of the Screening of Displaced Persons from Afghanistan” which said that Afghan evacuees were not vetted by the National Counter-Terrorism Center using DoD data prior to their arrival in the United States.
O’Donnell’s report also revealed that DoD personnel had identified 50 Afghans in the United States with DoD records indicating them as “potentially significant security concerns.” This number had risen to 65 by the time the senators wrote the letter.
The whistleblower revealed “an even darker picture,” claiming that 324 Afghan evacuees were allowed into the country despite being listed on the BEWL. This was in addition to the 65 individuals.
“The BEWL—commonly known as ‘the watch list’—identifies individuals whose biometrics have been collected and determined by analysts to be threats or potential threats to national security, including known suspected terrorists,” the letter pointed out.
The defense department did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publishing.
Afghan Migrant Security Issue
The GOP senators’
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