Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, has been identified as the individual who allegedly shot two National Guard members in Washington, D.C.
According to AfghanEvac, a nonprofit consisting of U.S. veterans and individuals who served in Afghanistan, Lakanwal previously served in NDS-03, an elite Afghan counterterrorism unit. This unit was reportedly operated by the CIA with direct U.S. intelligence and military support, engaging the Taliban on behalf of the U.S. government.
Lakanwal was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021 following the fall of Kabul and arrived in the U.S. under humanitarian parole. CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that Lakanwal was admitted to the U.S. due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including the CIA. He applied for asylum during the Biden administration and was granted asylum in April 2025. AfghanEvac noted that individuals like Lakanwal typically undergo multiple vetting processes during their journey to the U.S. He also had an active Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) application, having received chief of mission approval, a mandatory step, but had not yet been granted lawful permanent residence.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Lakanwal's involvement with U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan would be a central focus of the ongoing investigation. Patel also stated, without providing evidence, that Lakanwal was admitted to the U.S. by the Biden administration without proper vetting. Shawn VanDiver, founder of AfghanEvac, stated in an interview with NPR that it is premature to determine if Lakanwal warranted additional scrutiny, emphasizing that the majority of Afghan evacuees are law-abiding citizens. AfghanEvac confirmed that both chief of mission approval and asylum applications involve review and vetting by the U.S. government, including the CIA. Asylum vetting includes identity and background checks, biometric analysis, in-person interviews, and an assessment of eligibility under U.S. law. AfghanEvac also issued a statement asserting that this incident does not reflect the broader Afghan community.