The Afghan national who allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in a possible terror attack in the nation’s capital Wednesday served alongside American troops in his home country before coming to the US, according to a report.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, was a member of the Afghan Army stationed in Kandahar where he supported US Special Forces in the region, a relative told NBC News.
Lakanwal was injured while serving in the army and fled Afghanistan, entering the US in September 2021 through the Biden administration’s botched refugee program Operation Allies Welcome.
Alleged gunman Rahmanullah Lakanwalis is suspected of shooting two National Guardsmen in Washington DC. MQ RYAN via REUTERS“We were the ones that were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan,” the relative told the outlet. “I cannot believe it that he might do this,” he said.
Lakanwal had previously worked with several US government agencies, including the CIA, prompting the Biden administration’s decision to grant him asylum, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News.
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation,” Ratcliffe told the outlet.
“The individual—and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe continued. “Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Emergency personnel gather in a cordoned-off area where National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House. AP
Andrew Wolfe was identified as one of two National Guardsmen shot near the White House on Wednesday. Andrew Wolfe / FacebookLakanwal allegedly ambushed the two National Guard members near the White House, lying in wait before opening fire in a brazen attack.
He’s accused of shooting a female guard in the chest and head before pumping a bullet into another soldier.
Lakanwal was then shot by return gunfire, sources have told The Post.
Police have not revealed a motive for the attack.
National Guard soldiers at the scene of the shooting near the White House on Nov. 26, 2025. Getty ImagesFollow the latest on the National Guard shooting in Washington, DC:
- Sarah Beckstrom, one of the National Guardsmen shot by crazed Afghan refugee, dies at 20: ‘Looking down at us’
- Two National Guard troops shot near White House in suspected terror attack, alleged gunman in custody
- https://nypost.com/2025/11/28/world-news/dc-terror-suspect-rahmanullah-lakanwal-will-have-charges-upgraded-to-murder/DC terror suspect will have charges upgraded to murder: Pirro
- Top Trump intel official reveals DC terror suspect wasn’t vetted for entry to US
- Afghan terror suspect ‘disappeared’ roughly 2 weeks before ambushing National Guard troops in DC, neighbor says
Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington, a community close to the Canadian border that accepted other refugees from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and was approved on April 23 of this year — and had no known criminal history, a Trump admin official told Reuters.
President Trump, in a televised message delivered Tuesday night, called Lakanwal’s alleged attack an “act of terror.”
“It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity,” Trump said.
