Episode 15

Left Behind: Is America betraying our Afghan wartime allies?

Published on: 4th December, 2025

Is the Trump administration betraying our wartime allies by shutting down immigration?

On November 26, a 29-year old Afghan man, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two National Guardsmen in Washington, DC, 20 year old Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24 year old Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolf. Sarah died of her injuries.

The Trump administration is using this tragic incident to crack down on immigration, and have mentioned the Afghan community specifically.

But there is more to the picture. Rahmanullah had reportedly suffered from severe mental health challenges, and tried to reach out for help from the CIA, who he had worked with in Afghanistan, before coming to the US in 2021 as part of an effort initiated by the Biden administration to help our wartime allies. He was granted asylum this year under the Trump administration.

To understand the full picture behind this story, I spoke to Shawn Van Diver, a Navy veteran and the founder of Afghan Evac, an organization which helps our Afghan allies secure a new life in the United States with their families.

Episode Notes:

Afghan Evac: https://afghanevac.org/

Afghan Evac on Substack: https://afghanevac.substack.com/

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About the Podcast

The View From Here
The View From Here with Jasmine El-Gamal
The View From Here is a brand-new weekly podcast hosted by former Pentagon official and foreign policy analyst Jasmine El-Gamal.

Each Thursday, Jasmine connects the dots between global headlines and the human stories behind them.

From war rooms to conflict zones to refugee camps, she draws on her experiences to examine how policy decisions impact real lives, uncovering the unseen costs of power.

The View from Here is foreign policy, reimagined: from the people shaping it, to those it impacts.

Get in touch with us with your thoughts and questions! You can find us at jasmine@viewfromherepod.com.

Disclaimer: The View from Here aims to showcase a wide range of views and opinions, which do not necessarily reflect those of the podcast or its host.

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Jasmine El-Gamal

Jasmine El-Gamal is a foreign policy analyst and former Pentagon official who cares deeply about building bridges and changing the way we talk and think about policies that affect us all.

In this polarized, tribal environment, we've lost something essential. We've lost our ability to see each other's humanity across political and cultural divides.

As a first-generation Arab-American who's navigated cultures across North America, the Middle East, and Europe, Jasmine knows what it's like to live between worlds. To see how the same event can be understood completely differently depending on where you're standing.

The View from Here is her brand new podcast where she will break down foreign policy, and the news, and their impact on the humans behind the headlines.