An Afghan national who entered the United States in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome ambushed two National Guardsmen on Wednesday just steps from the White House.
The suspect, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, arrived after the withdrawal from Afghanistan that occurred under Joe Biden.
The attack raised questions about the vetting process used for evacuees brought into the country during that period.
The Biden-Harris administration had said that Afghans arriving under the program underwent strict screening.
The shooting has renewed scrutiny of those assurances.
According to the details of the incident released publicly, the ambush occurred in Washington, DC, and both Guardsmen were targeted at close range.
Commentary about the withdrawal and its aftermath resurfaced following the attack.
Charlie Kirk had expressed [1] concerns in August 2021 about the scale and speed of the evacuation, connecting the influx of evacuees to broader political goals he believed were at work within the Biden-Harris administration.
Kirk said, “President Joe Biden’s Department of Defense will accept 30,000 Afghan refugees in the military installations following the collapse of Kabul. Boom. Political transformation. Let the country crumble.”
He said the situation was not accidental and viewed the events at the time as part of a political strategy.
Kirk connected the evacuation to long-term changes in the country.
In his view, the withdrawal was structured in a way that would create conditions for future shifts in the political landscape.
He said, “This was all intentional. Joe Biden let it fall apart to now say, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry.’”
He argued that the situation was not about humanitarian concerns, stating that the issue involved long-term political calculations.
Kirk said, “What’s going on here is Joe Biden wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently.”
Kirk said the decisions made during the withdrawal created risks for the United States and would produce long-term consequences.
He said improper vetting created an environment where individuals who wished to cause harm could enter the country.
“We’re playing checkers, and they’re playing chess,” he said as he outlined what he described as the strategic approach behind the withdrawal and the evacuation process.
Kirk said the impact of the collapse in Kabul would extend far beyond Afghanistan’s borders.
Charlie Kirk says Biden intentionally let Afghanistan fall because he “wants a couple hundred thousand more Ilhan Omars to come into America to change the body politic permanently” pic.twitter.com/JaLXtuEvWb [2]
— Jason S. Campbell (@JasonSCampbell) August 16, 2021 [3]
Some connected those predictions to the shooting that took place Wednesday in Washington, saying the consequences from the withdrawal continued to be felt domestically.
The ambush occurred near the White House and involved service members assigned to duty in the capital.
Information released after the attack identified Lakanwal as the suspect.
The details surrounding his arrival in the United States placed him within the Operation Allies Welcome program.
The attack brought renewed attention to the evacuation process and the policies implemented during the withdrawal.
The incident was described as an ambush, and both Guardsmen were targeted while carrying out their duties in the area.
The connection between the suspect’s arrival in 2021 and the circumstances of the attack led to further examination of the decisions made during the withdrawal and the screening processes that were in place at the time.