Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, worked alongside CIA-backed military units during the U.S. war in Afghanistan, agency officials confirmed Wednesday.
The man accused of shooting two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the U.S. in 2021 under the Operation Allies Welcome resettlement program.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal previously worked with CIA-supported partner forces in Afghanistan, notably in Kandahar, one of the Taliban’s historical strongholds. The New York Times also reported that he had worked with multiple U.S. government agencies during the war.
CIA Confirms Past Agency Ties
Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital that the administration had justified Lakanwal’s relocation to the United States due to his service with U.S. government entities.
“His involvement was as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly after the evacuation,” Ratcliffe said.
Lakanwal arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, when thousands of Afghan partners were granted emergency entry.
USCIS Halts Afghan Immigration Processing
In the wake of the shooting, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced an immediate suspension of immigration requests related to Afghan nationals.
“Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols,” the agency said in a statement.
White House Orders Reinforcements
President Donald Trump called the attack an “act of terror” and ordered 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., citing immigration as “the single greatest national security threat facing our nation.”
The investigation into the shooting and the suspect’s background remains ongoing.
