Afghans Attacked on Eid al-Fitr
A few more updates
(GCV Note: The terrorism chornicles are usually for paid subscribers, but when the attacks involve Afghan refugees, then it’s free for everyone)
Over the Eid al-Fitr weekend, which marks the conclusion of Ramadan, two Afghan immigrants stabbed two former Afghan interpreters in Houston, Texas, and Lancaster, Pennsylvania, respectively. Although both attacks are unlikely to be related, they highlight the risk to former Afghan allies, especially those who are well-known in local communities.
On March 27, Masiullah Sahil, originally from Afghanistan, stabbed and killed Abdul Niazai, a double-amputee Army interpreter who lost both legs while supporting American troops in Afghanistan. Sahil reportedly confessed to killing Niazai. Niazai, a 34-year-old father of four, was a well-known and beloved local community member. He died after sustaining 20 stab wounds.
According to police, Sahil attacked Niazai out of frustration with his immigration case. Niazai owned and operated Hewad Multiservices, which likely provided administrative assistance for his immigration case. Sahil attacked Niazi outside of his office in Houston, Texas. Of note, Shamsud din Jabbar, the man arrested for the New Orleans Day domestic terror incident, lived in Houston, Texas.
On 30 March, Mohammad Arif Abdul Rashid separately attacked a former Afghan interpreter and Defense Attaché Office - Kabul contact five times. The victim and another bystander both survived the attack. According to the victim, Mr. Rashid had harassed him the night before attacking him outside the Lancaster Islamic Center. As Mr. Rashid approached the victim, he lunged out, stabbing him in the back, yelling, “American Spy, I’m going to kill you,” in Pashto, one of the two main languages of Afghanistan.
According to the victim, Mr. Rashid was from Afghanistan but grew up in Karachi and Quetta, Pakistan, before immigrating to the United States approximately 13 years ago. Additionally, Mr. Rashid’s brother recently immigrated to the United States from Pakistan. Lastly, according to press reports, Mr. Rashid had been detained before for making “terroristic threats.”
The victim was a former Afghan political leader who regularly appeared on Afghan television before the fall of the Afghan Republic to the Taliban. The author, along with other former American combat veterans, assisted in the evacuation during the fall of Kabul in August 2021. The victim holds a special immigrant visa and has served for years in the American special forces.
GCV analysis: The first attack in Houston appears to be a personal grudge. However, the attack in Pennsylvania has all the trappings of a domestic terrorism attack. In short, like in any refugee diaspora, there will be harmful elements, no matter where they come from.
Reminds me of the killing of Doublehead because of his complicity with the Americans in selling some of our land in Georgia. Tribal justice is rarely understood by non-tribal 'rule of law' types.