The Hill, 7 January 2026
In this opinion piece, HRW’s associate Asia director Patti Gossman points to the background of the controversial Afghan Zero Units, in one of which the Washington shooter of two National Guard members served in the past, writing “some have used the term ‘death squad‘” for them for their repeated targeting of civilians “because of mistaken identity, poor intelligence or local political rivalries.” Or worse.
Patti concludes:
Public outrage shouldn’t be directed at the refugees who fled Taliban-controlled Afghanistan after the war. Pointing of fingers at Afghan refugees is misplaced. Confronting U.S. decisions that empowered abusive forces like the Zero Units is harder, but that is where the honest reckoning needs to begin.
Revisions:
This article was last updated on 8 Jan 2026
