The Zero Units Fought for the C.I.A. in Afghanistan. In the U.S., They’re Living in Fear.

New York Times - WorldEN 23 min read 100% complete by Matthieu Aikins and Wesley MorganFebruary 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM

AI Summary

long article 23 min

A shooting in Washington D.C. by Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan refugee and former member of the Zero Units, has jeopardized the immigration status of other Zero Unit members living in the U.S. The Zero Units were a shadow army of Afghan soldiers funded and directed by the CIA. Approximately 10,000 members and their families were evacuated to the United States during the American withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. The shooting brought attention to the existence of the Zero Units and their presence in the U.S., prompting President Trump to announce a "permanent pause on third-world migration." Many former members, like Mohammad Iqbal, now live in fear due to the intensified crackdown on asylum seekers.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

El Cajon, Calif. 30% Matthieu Aikins 40% Army National Guard 40% Wesley Morgan 40% President Trump 50% Washington, D.C. ×260% Rahmanullah Lakanwal ×270% Afghanistan ×370% United States ×275% Central Intelligence Agency ×285% Mohammad Iqbal ×590% Zero Units ×395%

Keywords

zero units 100% afghanistan 90% c.i.a. 80% immigration 70% afghan refugees 70% rahmanullah lakanwal 60% terrorism 50% u.s. special operations 50% asylum seekers 40%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.60

Source Transparency

Source

New York Times - World

Classification Confidence

90%

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis.

Topic Connections

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

No topic relationship data available yet. This graph will appear once topic relationships have been computed.

zero units afghanistan c.i.a.immigration afghan refugees rahmanullah lakanwal terrorism u.s. special operations asylum seekers

Explore Full Topic Graph

Find Similar Articles

AI-Powered

Discover articles with similar content using semantic similarity analysis.