Afghan CIA fighters, like National Guard attack suspect, face stark reality in U.S.

Afghan CIA fighters, like National Guard attack suspect, face stark reality in U.S.

Brian Mann

December 10, 2025 / 2:00 am

They survived some of the Afghanistan War's most grueling and treacherous missions, regularly battling the Taliban in nighttime raids and urban gun battles. But once evacuated to the U.S., many Afghan fighters who served in "Zero Units" led by the CIA found themselves spiraling into despair because of what they saw as bureaucratic neglect and abandonment by the U.S. government, a former CIA operative and a former Afghan fighter involved in the units told NPR.

Among their ranks was Rahmanullah Lakanwal , the man charged with killing one National Guard soldier and seriously injuring a second after opening fire on them in Washington, DC on Thanksgiving Eve.

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