WASHINGTON — The Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House previously worked with multiple U.S. government entities, including the CIA, during his time as part of a partner force in Afghanistan, according to intelligence officials familiar with the matter.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration program that resettled tens of thousands of Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Intelligence officials said Lakanwal had worked with U.S. agencies in Kandahar before the collapse of the Afghan government.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital that Lakanwal’s admission into the United States stemmed from that prior affiliation. Ratcliffe criticized the administration’s handling of the evacuation and resettlement effort.
“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,” Ratcliffe said. “The individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here. Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Ratcliffe added: “God bless our brave troops.”
The FBI has taken the lead on the investigation. Several intelligence officials, speaking to Fox News Digital, said the shooting is being examined as a possible act of international terrorism.
FBI officials said the two West Virginia National Guard members wounded in the attack remain in critical condition.
