{"id":119092,"date":"2021-09-10T18:48:31","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T18:48:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/10\/the-pentagon-is-evaluating-its-screening-of-afghan-evacuees-for-security-risks\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T14:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T14:00:25","slug":"the-pentagon-is-evaluating-its-screening-of-afghan-evacuees-for-security-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/09\/10\/the-pentagon-is-evaluating-its-screening-of-afghan-evacuees-for-security-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pentagon is evaluating its screening of Afghan evacuees for security risks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Troops on the ground at the Kabul airport in August helped process tens of thousands of at-risk Afghans<\/a> as they were evacuated from the country as the Taliban re-took power in Afghanistan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Department\u2019s inspector general\u2019s office on Friday announced that they would be going over that process with a fine-tooth comb, to see how personnel were involved and how closely the department is tracking evacuees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis evaluation will determine the extent to which the DoD is managing and tracking displaced persons from Afghanistan through the biometrics enrollment, screening, and vetting process,\u201d according to the announcement.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once troops at the gate confirmed identities and paperwork of those lined up at the gates, State and Homeland Security Department representatives screened them and sent along to way stations in the Middle East and Europe before making their way to military installations stateside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost as soon as the evacuations began, protestations \u2015 mostly from conservative pundits \u2015 abounded, alleging that the evacuees were unvetted and an imminent security risk to Americans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reality, those Afghans were subject to multiple screenings over their travels, and those screenings continue as they prepare for resettlement in the U.S. Their names and biometric data are compared against multiple databases tracking known members or affiliates of terrorist organizations.<\/p>\n\n\n\t