https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/nov/27/rahmanullah-lakanwal-suspect-national-guard-shooting-worked-us/?utm_medium=subscriber&utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_campaign=evening&utm_content=paywall&bt_ee=t1N%2Fm7%2B8w5biEnoBI0RqA0HX0VlKZgVy8bLogEQd35k%3D&bt_ts=1764279072491

Suspect in National Guard shooting worked with U.S. in Afghanistan and left during U.S. withdrawal

By Matt Delaney   Washington Times   November 27, 2025

An Afghan refugee who worked with the U.S. military in his homeland is accused of opening fire on two National Guard troops in the nation’s capital after having driven across the country to launch the ambush, officials said.

FBI Director Kash Patel said suspected shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, traveled from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to carry out his “heinous act of terrorism” that critically wounded West Virginia National Guard troops who were on assignment from West Virginia.

Prosecutors charged him with assault with intent to kill and gun-related offenses, while Army Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Spc. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, cling to life following Wednesday’s ambush.

Mr. Patel said his agency is investigating evidence of terrorism linked to Mr. Lakanwal, who came to America after the U.S. military pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Mr. Lakanwal had partnered with the U.S. government and the CIA in Kandahar, a Taliban stronghold, before the withdrawal.

The suspect was in one of the CIA’s “Zero Units,” a shadowy paramilitary group of Afghan natives who conducted strikes on Taliban assets, according to The New York Times.

Human rights organizations said Zero Units were known for their brutality and referred to the crews as “death squads.” At least one Afghan national was denied entry into the States because of his time as a CIA-backed combatant.

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