A number of male Afghan refugees who were recently moved to the United States from Afghanistan have been accused of assaulting a female soldier at Fort Bliss. According to the FBI who is investigating the case, the Afghans had reportedly assaulted the female service member at the fort’s Dona Ana Range Complex in New Mexico on September 19.
The service member reported the assault to the authorities, and the FBI El Paso office was dispatched to investigate the matter. The federal agency said the government takes the welfare and security of personnel seriously, and would do anything to ensure the safety and wellbeing of Americans.
“We take the allegation seriously and appropriately referred the matter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation,” the FBI stated. “The safety and well-being of our service members, as well as all of those on our installations, is paramount.”
Just last week, a federal grand jury in Wisconsin convicted two Afghan refugees of crimes during their stay at the Fort McCoy facility in Wisconsin. Bahrullah Noori, 20, was alleged to have engaged in sex acts with a minor on several occasions before switching to do the same with another minor.
Mohammad Haroon Imaad, 22, was accused of violence and rape by his wife. Imaad’s wife said the Afghan beat their children, raped her severally, and threatened to return her to Afghanistan where the Taliban will deal with her. Other Afghans have also been accused of various crimes and offenses since their evacuation to the United States several weeks ago.
American government officials have expressed fears that violent Afghans with a mentality for crime could turn their temporary housing facilities to a haven for misdeeds. This is against the Republican accusation that the Biden administration may have brought criminal Afghans back to the US during the evacuation process without adequate background checks. They accused the government of abandoning those who helped US and NATO forces behind in the hands of the Taliban.
“My prayers are with the courageous soldier and her family,” Rep. Yvette Harrell stated. “This is yet another tragic failure in the vetting process for Afghan nationals. The American people deserve answers.”
The Biden administration remains committed to resettling thousands of Afghan refugees in the United States through the Operation Allies Welcome program. More than 124,000 Afghans were evacuated from Afghanistan in August and settled in various countries in Europe, with 50,000 of these brought to America. These evacuees are housed in eight military facilities across the country. About 12,000 more are billed to enter the country again from Europe in October.
