Details emerge on CIA unit alleged National Guard shooter served with in Afghanistan

The Afghan nationalist accused of shooting 2 National Guardsmen conscionable blocks from the White House connected the time earlier Thanksgiving served successful an elite CIA counterterrorism portion successful Afghanistan, according to caller details that emerged Thursday astir the suspect’s background.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, served successful Afghanistan with NDS-03, an elite portion operated by the CIA with nonstop U.S. quality and subject support, according to Afghan Evac, a non-profit that works with Afghans connected Special Immigrant Visas (SIV).

Lakanwal’s portion operated successful Afghanistan’s confederate portion — successful Kandahar, Helmand and Uruzgan — retired of the erstwhile compound of the precocious Taliban person Mullah Omar, commonly referred to arsenic "Mullah Omar’s house" and by U.S. forces arsenic "Camp Gecko."

NDS-03 was 1 of astir 5 paramilitary groups moving with the CIA. They were commonly called "Zero Units" owed to the numbers pursuing their National Directorate of Security (NDS) oregon Afghan quality work designation.

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Undated record photograph of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the fishy successful the shooting of 2 National Guard soldiers successful Washington, D.C., connected Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (Provided by Department of Justice)

The Afghan members of the units were highly vetted and trained by the CIA and carried retired immoderate of the toughest counterterrorism missions against the Taliban, Al Qaeda and others. They were precise trusted and brave, according to those who worked with them.

Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally successful 2021 nether humanitarian parole arsenic portion of the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome that followed the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country. The cognition aimed to enactment and resettle susceptible Afghans, including those that had helped U.S. troops successful the past.

National Guard members basal unneurotic down yellowish tape, aft 2 National Guard members were changeable adjacent the White House successful Washington, D.C., Nov. 26, 2025. (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

He had his asylum exertion approved successful April 2025 nether the Trump administration, the non-profit radical said.

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U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel criticized the vetting process during a property league connected Thursday.

U.S. Attorney for D.C. Jeanine Pirro speaks during a property league with FBI Director Kash Patel and different authorities astir the shooting of 2 National Guard members connected November 26, successful Washington, D.C., Nov. 27, 2025.  (Reuters/Nathan Howard)

Pirro said the shooting is an illustration of what happens "in this state erstwhile radical are allowed successful who are not decently vetted." Patel said the Biden medication allowed "thousands of radical into this state without doing a azygous portion of inheritance checking oregon vetting."

A elder U.S. authoritative told Fox News that the CIA would person done its ain vetting of him done a assortment of databases, including the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) database, to spot if helium had immoderate known ties to violent groups earlier moving with him.

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Lakanwal began moving with the CIA astir 2011, erstwhile helium was apt 15 years old, according to the official, who added that the CIA would person kept the identities of those they worked with secret.

The authoritative noted it was communal astatine the clip for Afghans to forge their commencement certificates to look 18 oregon older earlier applying to enactment with the U.S. government. Few authoritative records of commencement are kept successful Afghanistan, and it was often hard to cognize anyone's nonstop age, the authoritative added.

NCTC would person vetted him during Operation Allies Welcome successful 2021 for immoderate ties to coercion earlier helium was allowed into the U.S., the elder authoritative said.

"In presumption of vetting, thing came up," the elder U.S. authoritative told Fox News. "He was cleanable connected each checks."

The elder authoritative added that the U.S. authorities had been doing continuous, yearly vetting since the Afghans’ accomplishment successful the U.S., particularly successful the aftermath of the foiled panic crippled successful Oklahoma earlier past year’s election, which progressive an Afghan evacuee.

Lakanwal is accused of shooting National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, adjacent the Farragut West Metro presumption astir 2:15 p.m. connected Wednesday.

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Pirro said the fishy "ambushed" the brace successful a "targeted" attack. The fishy was past changeable by a responding Guardsman and subdued. He was hospitalized and placed nether "heavy guard," she said.

Beckstrom and Wolfe remained successful captious information aft undergoing surgery, Pirro said.