National Guard Member Dies Following Shooting Near the White House
In a tragic incident near the White House, one of the two West Virginia National Guard members shot by an Afghan national has died. President Donald Trump announced the death of Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, aged 20, during a Thanksgiving call with U.S. troops. Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remains in critical condition.
President Trump described Beckstrom as an “incredible person, outstanding in every single way” and communicated with her parents following the announcement. The president referred to the incident as a “terrorist attack” and criticized the Biden administration for allowing Afghan nationals who had worked with U.S. forces during the Afghanistan War to enter the United States.
Trump displayed a news photo of Afghan evacuees on a military plane from the 2021 evacuation from Kabul, suggesting the shooter may have been mentally affected by the war and their subsequent relocation to the U.S. “He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts,” Trump stated.
Suspect’s Background and Charges
The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, formerly worked with a CIA-backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating to the U.S. He is accused of ambushing the soldiers with a .357 Smith & Wesson revolver. Charges against him include assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, with the potential for upgraded charges due to Beckstrom’s death.
Lakanwal entered the U.S. under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, a program designed to resettle Afghans who supported U.S. efforts in Afghanistan. The initiative, which relocated approximately 76,000 individuals to the U.S., has faced criticism from Trump and others regarding its vetting process.
Political and Military Context
The shooting has occurred amid ongoing debates and legal battles concerning the Trump administration’s use of military troops to address crime in Washington, D.C. Following an emergency order in August that federalized local police and deployed National Guard troops, about 2,200 troops are reported to be operating in the city. The administration quickly dispatched an additional 500 National Guard members to Washington after the shooting.
Jeanine Pirro, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, has not disclosed a motive for the attack. The suspect, Lakanwal, was also injured in the incident, though his injuries are not considered life-threatening.
Legacy of the Afghanistan War
Lakanwal, originally from the eastern Afghan province of Khost, served in a paramilitary unit known as Zero Units, backed by the CIA. These units were involved in front-line combat alongside CIA officers and played a significant role during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Following the chaotic evacuation, Lakanwal’s relationship with the U.S. government ended, according to CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
Calls for increased scrutiny and reinvestigation of Afghan refugees have emerged, with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services pledging to enhance screening measures for individuals from high-risk countries.
