One of the two soldiers shot Wednesday in downtown Washington, D.C., next to the White House, has died. This was stated by US President Donald Trump, who described the suspect, an Afghan national who worked for the CIA in his native country, as a “savage monster.”
During a Thanksgiving phone call with US troops, Trump announced Thursday night that he had just learned of the death of Private Sarah Beckstrom, 20, while Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”
“She just died. She’s no longer with us. Now she looks down on us. Her parents are with her,” Trump told the cameras.
The US President described Beckstrom as “a wonderful person, exceptional in every way.” The White House said he spoke with his parents after his words.
Trump used the ad to describe the shooting as a “terrorist attack” and criticized the Biden administration for allowing Afghans who worked with US forces during the Afghanistan war to enter the United States.
The US President confirmed that the shooter, who was working for the US government in Afghanistan, was mentally unstable after the war and leaving Afghanistan: “He went crazy. I mean he went crazy. This happens a lot with these people.”
The shooter was working with American forces
The suspect accused of the shooting is Rahmanullah Lakkanwal, 29, who worked in a special CIA-backed Afghan army unit before leaving Afghanistan, according to the Associated Press.
Trump blamed the asylum operation, in which Afghans working with US forces arrived by plane, for failing to ensure people were properly vetted: “There is no higher national security priority than ensuring we have complete control over the people who enter our country and stay. For the most part, we don’t want them.”
Jeanine Pirro, the federal prosecutor for the District of Columbia, declined to provide a motive for the Wednesday afternoon attack, which occurred just blocks from the White House. The presence of forces in the country’s capital and other cities has become an element of political dispute due to the refusal to militarize the streets.
Pirro said the suspect launched an attack with a .357-caliber Smith & Wesson pistol. As of Thursday, the suspect was facing charges of assault with intent to murder while carrying a firearm and possession of a firearm during a violent crime, but Pirro warned that the charges would be compounded if any National Guard member died, which they eventually did.
The shooting comes amid judicial and public disputes over the Trump administration’s use of the military to combat crime in cities.
Trump issued an emergency order in August federalizing Washington, D.C., police and sending in National Guard troops. The order expired after a month. But troops remained in the city, where nearly 2,200 soldiers are currently deployed, according to the latest government update.
Guard members patrolled neighborhoods, train stations and other locations, participated in roadblocks, were assigned to collect trash, and monitor sporting events.
The Trump administration ordered 500 additional National Guard members to be sent to Washington after the attack.
The suspect was also shot and suffered injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
Legacy of the Afghanistan War
A resident of Khost province in eastern Afghanistan, who identified himself as Lakhanwal’s cousin, told the Associated Press that Lakhanwal was originally from the province and that he and his brother worked in a special Afghan army unit known as “Zero Units” in Kandahar province. A former officer in the unit, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother a platoon leader.
Lakanwal started working as a security guard for the unit in 2012 and was later promoted to team leader and GPS specialist, his cousin said.
Kandahar is located in the heart of Taliban territory in the country. It was the scene of fierce fighting between the Taliban and NATO forces after the US-led invasion in 2001, following the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11.
The CIA relied on Afghan staff to translate, administer, and fight with its officers.
The Zero Units were paramilitary units made up of Afghans, but supported by the CIA, who also served in combat with CIA paramilitary officers. Human rights activists attributed violations to these units. They played a key role in the chaotic US withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans withdrew from the country.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe said in a statement that Lakanwal’s relationship with the US government “ended shortly after the chaotic evacuation” of US military personnel from Afghanistan.
Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Welcoming Allies, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country, officials said. Lakhanwal requested asylum during the Biden administration, but his asylum was approved during the Trump administration, according to a statement issued by #AfghanEvac.
The initiative brought about 76,000 people to the United States, many of whom worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators. Since then, the program has come under intense scrutiny by Trump and his administration over accusations of shortcomings in the operation, though its defenders say a thorough investigation was conducted and that the program provided a lifeline to people who aided the United States and were at risk of retaliation from the Taliban.
Lakanwal lives in Bellingham, Washington, about 80 miles north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, according to his landlord, Christina Weidman.
On Wednesday evening, Trump called for the resumption of screening of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration. USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said in a statement that the agency will take steps to screen people from 19 “high-risk” countries to the greatest extent possible.