DALLAS, Texas — Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal, an Afghan man who served alongside US special forces and fled his native country after the Taliban’s takeover, died on Saturday, March 16, 2026, shortly after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). He had been seeking asylum in the United States since arriving in August 2021.
Circumstances Leading to Death
Paktyawal, 41, a father of six, was arrested on Friday, March 14, during a targeted enforcement operation outside his Dallas-area apartment.
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Paktyawal had no known health conditions, but during his medical intake exam, he complained of shortness of breath and chest pains. ICE contacted paramedics, who transported him to a Dallas hospital, where his condition deteriorated.
Paktyawal was administered CPR and received resuscitative efforts from physicians, but he passed away shortly after 9 a.m. local time on Saturday. His tongue was swollen and he was given an IV drip at the hospital before his death.
The initial report from the Dallas County Medical Examiner has yet to determine a cause or manner of death. Paktyawal’s death is the 12th detainee death in ICE custody this year.
Grief in the Afghan Community
Paktyawal’s death has prompted grief in the Afghan diaspora community in Texas, where over 190,000 Afghans relocated to the U.S. after the country’s collapse.
Rahmanullah Zazy, a leader in the Dallas-area Afghan community, voiced the community’s sorrow: “They took our community member alive to the detention center, and now we are getting the dead body. We want peace.”
Paktyawal had been seeking asylum in the U.S. after serving alongside U.S. special forces in Afghanistan starting in 2005. AfghanEvac, an advocacy group, provided a certificate of service confirming his involvement with U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan near the Pakistan border.
ICE and DHS Response
According to DHS, Paktyawal entered the U.S. without providing a record of his military service. However, advocacy group AfghanEvac insists that Paktyawal served as an Afghan ally to U.S. forces, and Shawn VanDiver, the group’s president, questioned the circumstances of his death, saying, “We just know he’s dead.”
In a statement, DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis criticized the Biden-era program that allowed thousands of Afghans to be evacuated under Operation Allies Welcome and said that it led to the entry of “unvetted Afghan nationals” into the U.S.
However, these claims have been disputed, with experts pointing out that all Afghan evacuees were subjected to multiple screenings before being allowed entry.
Paktyawal’s Family and Legacy
Paktyawal’s brother, Naseer, described him as a “hero” who had come to the U.S. seeking a better life for his family. Paktyawal leaves behind six children, the youngest of whom is an American citizen. His family is still seeking answers, while the community grieves the loss of one of its own.
The sudden and tragic death of Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal has left his family and the Afghan community in Texas devastated. As the investigation into the cause of his death continues, many are questioning the conditions in which Afghan evacuees are being held in U.S. detention facilities.
