National Guard shooting suspect served in CIA counterterrorism unit, group says

"Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan man who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, previously served in one of Afghanistan's elite counterterrorism units, according to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit run by U.S. veterans and others who served in Afghanistan. The unit was operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support, according to AfghanEvac. Lakanwal's unit, NDS-03, operated at the direction of the CIA and fought the Taliban on behalf of the U.S. government, the group said."

"CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement earlier Thursday that the shooter involved in the attack, who came to the U.S. from Afghanistan in 2021, was admitted into the U.S. "due to his prior work with the U.S. Government, including CIA." He is likely to have been vetted multiple times during his journey to the United States, according to the group, which works with Afghans who helped the U.S."

"Lakanwal was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021, following the fall of Kabul in the first year of the Biden administration. He arrived in the U.S. under humanitarian parole, the temporary authority used to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans on special immigrant visas and those Afghans who worked with the U.S. and were at risk from the Taliban. He applied for asylum in the Biden years and was granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration."

Rahmanullah Lakanwal previously served in NDS-03, an elite Afghan counterterrorism unit that operated at the direction of the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support. AfghanEvac said NDS-03 fought the Taliban on behalf of the U.S. government. CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal, who came to the United States from Afghanistan in 2021, was admitted due to prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA. Lakanwal was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021 and arrived under humanitarian parole. He applied for asylum and was granted asylum in April 2025. The FBI is investigating his relationships with partner forces and known associates.

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