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National Guard Shooting Suspect’s Secret CIA Past Revealed

Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with various U.S. government entities while living in Afghanistan.

The Afghan man accused of seriously injuring two National Guard Troops in a shooting near the White House had previously worked with the CIA, it has been reported. The suspect, identified as a 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had worked with various U.S. government entities, including the intelligence agency. Lakanwal worked as a member of a partner force in the Afghan city of Kandahar. CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital that the partnership ended following the U.S. military’s “chaotic evacuation” of the Middle Eastern country in August 2021. Lakanwal entered the U.S. the following month under Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program launched to help resettle Afghans in the U.S. after the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan. “The individual—and so many others—should have never been allowed to come here,” Ratcliffe added. However, CNN reported that Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted it in April under the current Trump administration. The two West Virginia National Guard members were critically injured in the Wednesday shooting, which authorities believe was a targeted attack. The suspect was taken into custody in connection with the ambush and also suffered non-life-threatening injuries.