Hi everyone,
On Wednesday, at about 2:15, a gunman approached two National Guard troops near the White House and opened fire. The troops were both from West Virginia, were shot in the head, and are in critical condition. A prayer vigil sprung up in real life as messages poured out online.
Others in the Guard heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene. The gunman was also shot and was eventually subdued by officers and transported to the hospital as well. Reports said that he was not at all cooperative.
It turned out that the man was an Afghan national who came to the United States in 2021 under the Biden administration's program to bring Afghans who had worked with US troops during the 20-something years' long war to the US. That program only launched because of Biden's absolutely horrific withdrawal of US troops from that nation, which saw 13 service members killed in a bombing attack at Abbey Gate.
The man acted alone, per officials, and intentionally targeted the troops. As soon as it turned out he was an Afghan, Afghani advocacy groups screamed out about potential prejudice facing the Afghan community in America. The shooting, they said, should "not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community." And they said Afghans are super well vetted before they're allowed to settle in the US.
Well, apparently that's not true. The suspected shooter is Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29-years-old, who came in under Biden's Operation Allies Welcome. The program was to allow vulnerable Afghans into the US for two-year stays. While they were here for two years, they were supposed to find other legal means of staying in the country. Lakanwal did not.
Lakanwal worked with the CIA, he served alongside US Special Forces in Kandahar, fighting the Taliban. He came to the US and settled in Washington state. He has a bunch of kids and a wife. And then, on November 26, he lay in wait by the Farragut West Metro Station and opened fire on National Guard troops. The first one hit was a woman, shot in the chest and head. The second was a man.
The attack will be investigated as an act of terror. Pete Hegseth has already said he'd deploy another 500 troops to DC. Trump said that he'd authorize the re-vetting of every Afghan that came in under Biden's airlift program. And all of this comes just after Trump designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization.
Libby