Relatives of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man accused of shooting and injuring two National Guard members near the White House on Wednesday, say he previously served alongside U.S. Special Forces in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old was shot and taken into custody at the scene, and officials have not yet announced formal charges.
One family member told NBC News that Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021. According to the relative, he spent about 10 years in the Afghan Army and was stationed for part of that time at a base in Kandahar.
After the Taliban takeover of Kabul, Lakanwal relocated to the U.S. and eventually settled in Washington state. The relative said he supported American troops, was wounded during his military service, and identified his background as part of a community targeted by the Taliban.
“We were the ones who were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I cannot believe it that he might do this,” the relative said, adding that Lakanwal grew up in Khost Province.
The family member also shared that Lakanwal has a wife and five sons. “I don’t know what happened. I need your help to know why this happened,” the relative said.
Lakanwal is reported to have entered the United States through Operation Allies Welcome, an initiative launched under President Joe Biden that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans following the U.S. withdrawal from the country. The program brought roughly 76,000 Afghans to the U.S., many of whom had assisted American troops and diplomats as interpreters, translators, or support staff.
Criticizing Biden and the program, Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem wrote on X that the suspect “was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration,” adding that she would not use his name, saying he “should be starved of the glory he so desperately wants.”
