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Rahmanullah Lakanwal: DC shooter's family breaks silence; ‘cannot believe’
Rahmanullah Lakanwal was identified as the DC shooter who injured two National Guard troops near the White House on Wednesday
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the DC shooter who injured two National Guard troops near the White House on Wednesday, served alongside US Special Forces troops in Afghanistan, his relatives revealed. The 29-year-old was shot and detained at the scene. Officials are yet to announce formal charges.
A relative said Lakanwal arrived in the US in September 2021. He served in the Afghan Army for 10 years, the family member said, according to NBC News. He was stationed at a base in Kandahar for part of that time.
After the Taliban took over Kabul, Lakanwal moved to the US and settled in Washington state. The relative, as per the report, added that the 29-year-old Afghan national supported US troops and was also injured during his time in the army.
Read More: National Guard shooting: 5 things to know about DC suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal
“We were the ones who were targeted by the Taliban in Afghanistan. I cannot believe it that he might do this,” the relative told the publication, further stating that Lakanwal grew up in Khost Province.
Giving additional details about Rahmanullah Lakanwal's family, the relative said that he has a wife and five boys. "I don’t know what happened. I need your help to know why this happened."
Read More: What is Operation Allies Welcome? Explaining how DC shooter Rashmanullah Lakanwal entered the US
Lakanwal entered the US through former President Joe Biden's Operation Allies Welcome. The program evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country. About 76,000 people were brought to the US, many of whom had worked alongside American troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.
Slamming Biden, Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem tweeted: “The suspect who shot our brave National Guardsmen is an Afghan national who was one of the many unvetted, mass paroled into the United States under Operation Allies Welcome on September 8, 2021, under the Biden Administration. I will not utter this depraved individual’s name. He should be starved of the glory he so desperately wants.”
