Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the Afghan national suspected of the fatal shooting of two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., was reportedly grappling with mental health issues and was haunted by his past military service, according to a childhood friend.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday, has sent shockwaves through the nation.
As reported by Mediaite, Lakanwal was admitted into the United States under President Joe Biden's Operation: Allies Welcome refugee program in September 2021. He sought asylum in 2024, a request that was allegedly granted earlier this year.
Before his relocation to the U.S., Lankanwal reportedly served in an Afghan paramilitary force known as the "Zero Units," which collaborated with American forces. These units, formally part of the Afghan intelligence service, were managed and supervised by the CIA. Operating outside the conventional chain of command, these units were involved in night raids and covert operations.
The Zero Units have been labeled as "death squads" by Taliban officials and human rights organizations. Human Rights Watch has purportedly documented instances where these units were implicated in "extrajudicial executions and enforced disappearances, indiscriminate airstrikes, attacks on medical facilities, and other violations of international humanitarian law." The CIA has refuted these allegations.
A childhood friend of Lankanwal, identified only as Muhammad for fear of Taliban retaliation, revealed that Lankanwal was deeply affected by the casualties inflicted by his unit and was battling mental health issues. "He would tell me and our friends that their military operations were very tough, their job was very difficult, and they were under a lot of pressure," Muhammad shared.
The Zero Units played a crucial role in the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, with some members tasked with securing the Kabul airport and U.S. and NATO bases. This service paved the way for Lakanwal's entry into the U.S. under the Biden program.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed this in a statement, noting that "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."
Lankanwal is currently under surveillance in a D.C. hospital, receiving treatment for injuries sustained when he was shot by other National Guard troops. He is suspected of shooting two members of the West Virginia National Guard near a metro station entrance close to the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
The victims, Andrew Wolfe, 24, and Sarah Beckstrom, 20, were on patrol in the capital, having been deployed since August when President Donald Trump sent troops to the capital to combat crime. Beckstrom tragically succumbed to her injuries, as announced by the President on Thursday evening.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for Washington, D.C., stated on Friday that the Justice Department will pursue first-degree murder charges against Lankanwal. President Trump lambasted Lankanwal as an "animal" who will "pay a very steep price" for the shooting.
FBI Director Kash Patel mirrored this sentiment, declaring on Thursday that the shooting is being investigated as an act of terrorism. He also confirmed that the bureau is probing Lankanwal's communications with individuals in Afghanistan.
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