Afghan CIA helper shoots US troops in DC

A fatal shooting in Washington, DC, has raised concerns about the U.S. government’s evacuation program for Afghans who worked with Western troops. Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal is suspected of firing at two West Virginia National Guard members while they were patrolling the street. The attack killed U.S. Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, and U.S. Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe remains in critical condition.

Officials say Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 under a special program designed to evacuate vulnerable Afghans, including those who had served with Western forces, after the Taliban retook the country. CIA Director John Ratcliffe confirmed that Lakanwal was admitted because of his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar. Reports indicate he served as a GPS‑tracker specialist in a unit known as Scorpion Forces, which operated under the CIA and later under Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security. He also helped guard American troops at Kabul airport during the final weeks of the 2021 withdrawal.

A former military commander who served alongside Lakanwal said he moved from Kandahar to Kabul five days before the Taliban entered the capital in August 2021 and was airlifted to the United States six days later. The FBI is investigating Lakanwal’s prior connections, and Director Kash Patel confirmed his relationship with partner forces in Afghanistan.

The incident has sparked criticism of the vetting process for evacuees and highlighted the complexities of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the challenges of resettling individuals who worked with Western troops. The investigation into the shooting is ongoing, and authorities are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the attack. The case has significant implications for the evacuation program and the broader effort to resettle Afghans who assisted U.S. forces, likely prompting further scrutiny of vetting procedures and support for evacuees as they settle in the United States.