Afghan American leaders in the Bay Area are increasingly worried that last week’s shooting of two National Guard members near the White House will spark a political backlash against Afghan evacuees nationwide.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who served in a CIA-backed strike force in Afghanistan before being evacuated to the U.S. in 2021, is accused of killing Army Spc. Sarah Beckstrom and wounding Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe. Leaders of the Bay Area’s Afghan community said they were horrified by the attack.

Fremont is home to one of the largest Afghan populations in the U.S. , but across the Bay Area, Afghan Americans said they are already feeling the fervor surrounding the case.

Afghan American Foundation Board Chair Joseph Azam of Oakland said the commun

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