New details are emerging that seem to contradict the Department of Homeland Security’s depiction of an Afghan national arrested in Waynesboro on Wednesday.
Jaan Shah Safi was targeted by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement in a sweep that appears to be in direct response to the attack in Washington that killed a West Virginia National Guard member on Nov. 26.
President Donald Trump used the tragic shooting as reasoning to further ramp up efforts to deport immigrants in the U.S. from 19 countries, including Afghanistan.
DHS touted Safi’s arrest in a partisan news release that accused him of providing material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-Khorasan (ISIS-K) and describing him as an “illegal alien terrorist.” DHS alleges that Safi provided weapons to his father, who DHS says is the commander of a militia group in Afghanistan.
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While the news release bragged about his arrest under the leadership of Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the two may eventually have to answer to suspicions that they are hunting down people wanted by the Taliban.
On the surface, the arrest seems like it could be because he was welcomed to the U.S. under Operation Allies Welcome, a program that allowed Afghans to resettle here to protect them from the Taliban. Trump has railed against the program and former president Joe Biden, saying the former administration did not properly vet Afghans.
But, those who knew Safi believe the U.S. has made a huge mistake with his sudden arrest.
According to sources, he was an ally of the U.S. for more than two decades. In a mugshot released by DHS, Safi looked confused and shocked.
A source familiar with his arrival in the U.S. told AFP that Safi fought the Taliban and ISIS alongside U.S. forces and believes the White House may be doing bidding on behalf of the Taliban.
The source said that Safi is on the Taliban’s “official hit list” and believes the Trump administration has been under pressure to deport certain individuals that will be immediately executed if sent back to Afghanistan.
The source told AFP that Safi’s father was a notorious anti-terrorism leader in Kunar and has been dead for nearly as long as Safi has been in the U.S.
“They want to send him back to Afghanistan and to certain death,” the source wrote. “Something ain’t right.
“I can’t say for certain he has not done wrong. But I’ve been very involved with these people for nearly four years, and these accusations are very unexpected. What I know to be true about this guy does not match what is being reported. Perhaps I was fooled. I hope not. I have come to love and care about these people. I am very concerned about their situation.”
A former intelligence analyst and targeter with the CIA, Sarah Adams, wrote on X that she finds the purported case against Safi “troubling.”
“A preliminary look at this case is already troubling,” she wrote in response to Homeland Security’s social media post announcing Safi’s arrest. “According to internal ISKP communications, Jaan Shah Safi is not a member of the group nor a supporter. Separately, within the Taliban, Safi appears on a hit list of former NDS officials who conducted successful operations against both the Taliban and ISIS, and who are now outside Afghanistan. The Taliban is reportedly working on efforts to convince the U.S. government to have the individuals on this list transferred to Taliban custody to be executed.
“If there’s smoke, there’s fire and something is seriously off in this case. We are not going to become bounty hunters in this country for terrorists.”
Adams served as the senior advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Benghazi, and was co-author of The Benghazi Committee Report: Proposed Report of the Select Committee on the Events. She also led Department of Defense research and development efforts to discover, incubate and deliver innovative data-driven, technology-enabled solutions to answer complex national security challenges, according to her bio on Amazon.
“Officials need to take a hard, thorough look at how this case originated and who pushed this individual forward as an ISKP target. And if he is in contact with former assets, then that information should be collected to benefit our nation’s security—not used to persecute an ally and collector who has spent years actually targeting ISKP while the Taliban does fake raids on the group.”
Updated, 5:06 p.m. U.S. Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine sent a joint statement to AFP concerning the arrest of Safi.
“Mr. Safi is entitled to due process, and the Trump administration must provide more information to the public about his arrest and the risks he might face in Afghanistan if deported,” they wrote.
“It’s dangerous for the Trump administration to paint all immigrants, including Afghans who risked their lives to support the U.S. military, as criminals. Virginia is stronger because we’ve welcomed immigrants into our communities.”
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Crystal Graham
