Another Newly Arrived Afghan Refugee Charged With Rape in Montana

According to police in Montana, an Afghan refugee recently resettled by the Biden administration in Montana has been charged with the rape of a teen girl in Missoula.

Zabihullah Mohmand, 19, was arrested after receiving a 911 call from the victim at a motel. Police found the victim’s bra and socks in Muhmand’s room.

Mohmand was charged with a felony count of sexual intercourse without consent and was ordered held in jail on $50,000 bond.

After questioning Mohmand’s immigration status, Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte issued a statement confirming that the sexual assault suspect had been resettled in the state by the US State Department.

“This situation and others across the country raise serious concerns about whether the Biden administration is meeting its obligations to fully vet Afghans prior to resettlement, Gianforte said.”

“I’m calling on President Biden to immediately halt resettlements to Montana until federal agencies provide me with adequate assurance that Afghans coming to Montana are fully-vetted in accordance with federal law,” Gianforte added.

This incident is one of several involving the newly arrived refugees resettled in the US following the botched evacuation of Afghanistan in August.

According to ABC News affiliate KVIA, the FBI is investigating the assault of a female Fort Bliss soldier by several male Afghan refugees at the Army’s Doña Ana Complex camp where thousands are currently being housed.

“We can confirm a female service member supporting Operation Allies Welcome reported being assaulted on Sept. 19 by a small group of male evacuees at the Doña Ana Complex in New Mexico,” Fort Bliss Public Affairs said in an emailed statement.

The news comes after reports about two other newly arrived Afghan evacuees who were charged with federal crimes, including the sexual assault of children while being housed at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.

Bahrullah Noori has been charged with one count of attempting to engage in a sexual act with a minor, and three counts of engaging in a sexual act with a minor. The indictment alleges that the victims were younger than 16.

Another refugee, Mohammad Haroon Imaad, was charged with assaulting his spouse by strangling and suffocating her. The indictment indicates that the assault occurred on September 7, 2021.

According to another report, U.S. officials are looking into allegations that in the evacuation of Afghan refugees, older men were admitted together with young girls they claimed as their “brides.”

The Washington Times also reports that a man who had been convicted of rape and deported from the U.S. was allowed to board an Afghan evacuation flight and reach the state of Idaho.

Ghader Heydari, a convicted rapist who was deported from the US in 2017, was arrested after catching an Ethiopian Airlines evacuation flight out of Kabul.

Heydari came to the US as a refugee and was even granted a green card in 2000.  Heydari pleaded guilty to rape in Ada County, Idaho, in 2010, and he served more than five years in prison.  

New Mexico Republican Rep. Yvette Herrell expressed concern after visiting refugees housed at Holloman Air Force Base in her congressional district. Herrell said military officials could not provide basic facts about those living at the base.

“Unfortunately, I left Holloman Air Force Base with more questions than answers. High ranking military brass and officials from Homeland Security and the State Department could not provide facts about the identities of those in the ‘Village,’” Herrell said.

“They did not know (or would not say) how many were U.S. citizens, how many were Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) applicants, or how many were merely people that made it onto our airplanes.

“Even more importantly, they could not say how many refugees had roles serving alongside U.S. forces,” the congresswoman added.

After a short stay at various processing centers, the refugees will are being resettled permanently in states across the country.

Of the roughly 50,000 to 100,000 Afghan refugees being resettled, tens of thousands of them are being transported to states like Idaho, Montana, Wisconsin, Washington, Utah, and Minnesota.

Since mid-August, ‘Refugee Connection’ Spokane has been making plans for Afghan refugees that were planned to be sent to the town.

For weeks ‘Refugee Connection’ has been preparing to incorporate the new arrivals into their ‘Elder Program’ and their ‘Refugee Kids Connect’ program. These programs are aimed to help people adjust to life in Spokane, Washington as easily as possible. 

According to a local ABC News affiliate:

“Refugee Connection says it is especially important to form a sense of community among the children that will be arriving to keep them active, help prevent the “summer slide,” with their education and help them thrive and feel confident as Spokane community members.”

Another group, World Relief Spokane, is expecting the arrival of Afghan refugees by the end of the week.

The group said that for the next couple of months refugees are going to be needing help from finding housing, jobs, learning English, and getting their kids into the school system.

Because of this, World Relief said that when the new refugees arrive, they will be welcomed into an already established Afghan community here in Spokane.

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