Brian Mann

reached out to the CIA for help, they often got no response.

NPR also reached out to the CIA and the U.S.

Citizenship and Immigration Services to ask about all this.

Both agencies declined to comment.

Yeah, people who've been working with these Afghan soldiers say it's been really widespread.

Dawood told me he's scrambled repeatedly to help fellow soldiers who feel hopeless, but he said some didn't make it.

And Gita Bakshi, the former CIA agent, she now leads an aid group for Afghans called FAMIL.

She says her organization also started working to prevent suicides as early as 2023.

And now, again, Michelle, these zero-unit fighters and their families are facing new fear and uncertainty.

The immigration process for all Afghans has been frozen by the Trump administration because of the Lackinwall case.

Afghan refugees are being vetted once again.

And President Trump has suggested many of these zero-unit fighters may not be allowed to stay in the U.S.

Thank you, Michelle.

It's still not clear why Rachmanoula Lachenwal drove from this city in northern Washington state to the nation's capital, where he allegedly opened fire on two National Guard soldiers, killing one and seriously injuring the other.

Lachenwal has pleaded not guilty.

Jeremy Darrow volunteers helping Afghan refugees in Bellingham.

He says many are terrified of being detained or deported.

President Trump froze Afghan asylum claims after the D.C.

shooting and has questioned whether Afghan refugees contribute in positive ways to American life.

But people here say they see them as an important part of the community.