CIA Death Squads in Afghanistan: Blowback from Child Soldiering

CIA's Role in Creating "Death Squads"

• 🎯 Journalist Spencer Ackerman highlights that Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the D.C. shooting, was allegedly armed by the CIA as a child soldier in Afghanistan.
• 💡 Lakanwal was reportedly part of the CIA-backed "Zero Unit" near Kandahar around age 14 or 15, a unit described by human rights groups as a "death squad."
• ⚠️ This situation is characterized as a stark example of imperial blowback resulting from the U.S. "war on terror."

Blame and "Imperial Blowback"

• 🔍 The article "He Killed for the CIA in Afghanistan. Trump Blames Afghan Culture Instead of Langley's" challenges the Trump administration's attribution of blame to Afghan culture.
• 🎯 Instead, the focus should be on Langley (CIA) and the Afghan intelligence service (NDS) for fostering a culture of violence and impunity.
• 🧩 The practice of outsourcing violent actions to locals, who are then blamed, is seen as a cover for U.S. foreign policy.

Consequences of U.S. Foreign Policy

• 💥 The incident is viewed as a horrific consequence of exploitative U.S. foreign policy returning home.
• ⚖️ If the U.S. values the lives of its service members, it should cease creating death squads and the conditions that warp individuals into committing atrocities.
• 💡 The comparison is made to Timothy McVey, who also had a military background before committing domestic terrorism, questioning why Afghan refugees face collective blame.