"The suspect in the shooting of two West Virginia national guard soldiers in Washington DC on the eve of Thanksgiving had been struggling with his mental health, sometimes spending weeks on end in isolation, as he struggled to assimilate in the years since arriving in the United States, it has emerged. According to emails obtained by the Associated Press, Rahmanullah Lakanwal's mental health had been unravelling for years, leaving him unable to hold a job"
"In Afghanistan, Lakanwal worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan army unit known as a Zero Unit. He entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden-era program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the chaotic US withdrawal. Many had worked alongside US troops and diplomats. He resettled in the US with his wife and their five sons, all under the age of 12, in Bellingham, Washington, but struggled to assimilate, according to the community member."
Rahmanullah Lakanwal experienced years of deteriorating mental health, alternating between long periods of isolation and sudden weeks-long cross-country drives. He was unable to hold steady employment or commit to English courses. A community advocate contacted a refugee organization out of fear he was becoming suicidal, though no one saw indications he would commit violence against another person. Sarah Beckstrom was killed and Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition. Lakanwal, 29, has been charged with first-degree murder and was shot and hospitalized after another National Guard member fired during the incident. He had served in a CIA-backed Afghan unit and resettled in 2021 with his wife and five young sons in Bellingham, Washington.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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