The Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 Afghanistan evacuation allowed approximately 18,000 known and suspected terrorists to enter the United States, creating what intelligence officials now call America’s top domestic terror threat.
Story Snapshot
- NCTC Director testified 18,000 FBI watchlist Afghans entered US during 2021 evacuation
- 2,000 evacuees have direct ties to terrorist organizations
- Recent arrests of Afghan nationals plotting attacks validate security concerns
- November 26 shooting of National Guard members linked to Afghan evacuee
Intelligence Chief Reveals Staggering Terror Threat Numbers
National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent delivered shocking testimony to the House Homeland Security Committee on December 11, 2025, revealing that 18,000 known and suspected terrorists from Afghanistan gained entry to America during the Biden administration’s botched 2021 evacuation. Kent described this influx as “alarming,” with 2,000 evacuees having direct organizational ties to terrorist groups. The NCTC director classified these unvetted Afghans as the nation’s primary domestic terror threat, surpassing even foreign concerns.
Kent’s testimony exposed the catastrophic security failures of Biden’s withdrawal operation, which brought over 80,000 Afghans directly to US soil without proper vetting. The chaotic nature of the Kabul airport evacuation, conducted under Taliban control after their August 15, 2021 takeover, made thorough background checks virtually impossible. This reckless approach to national security has created a ticking time bomb within American communities, as recent events tragically demonstrate.
Recent Terror Incidents Validate Worst Fears
The intelligence community’s warnings materialized in late 2025 with a series of alarming incidents. On November 26, 2025, an Afghan evacuee shot two National Guard members, marking a deadly escalation of the threat. Multiple arrests of Afghan nationals plotting terrorist attacks occurred throughout late November, confirming that the worst-case scenarios intelligence officials predicted are becoming reality. These events vindicate critics who warned about the dangers of mass, unvetted immigration from a terrorism-plagued region.
The FBI and Department of Homeland Security now face the overwhelming task of monitoring 18,000 potential threats while simultaneously dealing with over 10 million border encounters during the Biden years. This dual crisis stretches counterterrorism resources beyond their limits and places American families at unprecedented risk. The sheer scale of the threat dwarfs previous security challenges, creating an impossible surveillance burden for federal agencies.
Biden’s Evacuation Debacle Creates Lasting Security Crisis
The August 2021 Afghanistan withdrawal represented one of the most catastrophic foreign policy failures in modern American history. The rapid collapse of Afghan forces caught the Biden administration unprepared, forcing a desperate airlift under Taliban oversight. The August 26 ISIS-K suicide bombing that killed 13 American service members highlighted the security chaos, yet the administration continued evacuating unvetted individuals. This negligent approach to vetting protocols directly enabled the current domestic terror threat.
Your Blood Will Run Cold When You Hear How Many Afghans With Terror Ties Were Welcomed Into US by Biden – RedState https://t.co/VRY8dqx4an
— Doug Bell (@therealdougbell) December 13, 2025
Biden’s decision to extend Trump’s original May 1, 2021 withdrawal deadline to September 11 created additional complications without adequate planning for the inevitable Afghan government collapse. The administration’s focus on political optics over security protocols resulted in the largest noncombatant evacuation in US history becoming a security nightmare. Approximately 152,000 Afghan Special Immigrant Visa applicants remain in bureaucratic limbo, potentially creating additional vetting challenges for the Trump administration to address.
Sources:
US admitted 18,000 known and suspected terrorists from Afghanistan in 2021: official – Denver Gazette
House Homeland Security Committee Hearing – Congress.gov
Withdrawal of United States Troops from Afghanistan (2020) – EBSCO Research
