Exclusive | Americans who helped resettle Afghan allies feel ‘betrayed’ by suspected DC terrorist who was given safe haven
WASHINGTON — In a stark reminder of what can go wrong when trust is misplaced, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who has been branded a National Guard terrorist, has cut a deep blow to the U.S. citizens who risked everything to pull him and countless other Afghans out of Taliban rule and start anew here, the spokesperson for a relief organization told The Post.
Shawn VanDiver, the founder and president of #AfghanEvac—a nonprofit staffed by American vets that coordinates evacuation and resettlement of Afghan allies—said that one egregious act now casts a shadow over every Afghan who fled alongside U.S. forces during the two‑decade conflict. “He betrayed everybody who helped him,” VanDiver said on Thursday. “He betrayed his family. He betrayed every American that helped him get here. He betrayed the United States government. And he deserves to be held fully accountable.”
“But Afghan families did not do this,” he added, rooting out growing criticism directed at refugees now settled in the U.S.
After the Taliban seized power in August 2021, a wave of Americans stepped forward to help. Volunteers organized rides to driving schools, guided new immigrants through paperwork, secured employment, and sometimes even opened their own homes to Afghans with nowhere else to go, Van Diver explained.
Today, those same citizens find themselves the target of online backlash for their role in resettling thousands of innocent people—a backlash they say is fueled by a single, insane offender. “One deranged man taking insane action does not make a community,” he stated.
Van Diver warned that certain political pundits are quick to weaponize the tragedy, painting Afghan evacuees with a broad brush and giving the assailant just the propaganda he needs. “People pushing this narrative are doing the shooter’s job for him,” he said. “If he had been born in Missouri, nobody would be punishing all of Missouri.”
The Afghans and volunteers who once converged with the U.S. military now feel the sting of fear—they worry that the actions of one individual could tarnish their legacies. “They feel like they’re being targeted. They’re being marked for something they didn’t do,” Van Diver observed. “They gave so much out of their hearts to help wartime allies. Now they’re scared and grieving.”
Many of those who campaigned for Afghan interpreters, drivers, and other allies are anxious that the years of goodwill their cohorts invested might be erased by a single misstep. In his words, “It’s like in the military, where one person screws up and the whole platoon gets punished.” He argued that proper vetting and robust intelligence work are the true safeguards, not blanket suspicion.
“Americans are safest when we stand with our allies, not against them,” he affirmed. “Afghan families are our neighbors, classmates, coworkers. They deserve dignity and truth, not fear‑mongering.”
Despite the vitriol, a swath of Americans continue to provide support to Afghan families while dealing with the political maelstrom that has seized their community. The shared grief is palpable. “They’re as mad as we are. They’re terrified of being blamed for something they had nothing to do with,” Van Diver said. He reiterates that no single wrongdoer can erase the dignity of thousands of families that once trusted the U.S. with their lives. “This individual alone is responsible for his crime,” he reminded. “Not Afghan families. Not the volunteers. And not the community that believed in him.”
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