Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the accused shooter of two National Guards members in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 26, one of whom has since died, is reported to have been a member of one of a number Afghan paramilitary units, called “Zero Units” that worked with the CIA before he was evacuated out of Afghanistan in 2021 and that he suffered mental health issues as a result. A childhood friend, identified only as Muhammad, told the New York Times that Lakanwal had suffered from mental health issues and was disturbed by the casualties his unit had caused. “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 said. The suspect reportedly received asylum from the U.S. government in April.
“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,” the CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement, adding that the accused assailant “should have never been allowed to come here.”
