In the aftermath of Wednesday’s ambush shooting of West Virginia National Guardsmen Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, new details continue to emerge about the suspect, 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal.
The two Guardsmen were shot near the White House, and authorities have confirmed that Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 through Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome program following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
As information about Lakanwal’s background develops, video clips and statements from 2021 have resurfaced [1] showing warnings from several public officials about the vetting processes used during that resettlement effort.
Then–Ohio Senator, now Vice President, JD Vance and former U.S. Army captain and current Assistant to the Secretary of War for Public Affairs and Senior Advisor Sean Parnell were among those who publicly raised concerns about admitting thousands of Afghan nationals without comprehensive screening.
Parnell discussed his own experience during a 2021 interview on Fox News with Tucker Carlson.
He described an incident from his deployment in Afghanistan in which an interpreter who had worked alongside his unit for a year betrayed them.
Parnell said the interpreter “had been with us every step of the way, someone who we thought was our friend.”
He later learned the interpreter had coordinated with an Iranian IED cell in Pakistan. Four of Parnell’s soldiers were seriously injured in the incident, and one was killed.
Parnell told Carlson that this experience shaped his view of the resettlement program, saying: “Just because an Afghan works with us and is friends with us does not actually mean that they’re safe to bring here. And this precisely why we cannot bring 30,000 unvetted Afghan refugees to the United States of America. It is an irresponsible policy, and quite frankly, I can’t believe we even have to have this conversation. American citizens have to have the — they have to be the priority.”
WATCH: Sean Parnell in 2021 arguing against bringing unvetted Afghan “refugees” into America by telling a story about a longtime interpreter in Afghanistan who betrayed his platoon.
People forget that this was a lonely and courageous position to take in 2021. Countless… pic.twitter.com/2yA5FSxNl4 [2]
— Andrew Surabian (@Surabees) November 27, 2025 [3]
Political strategist Andrew Surabian shared similar concerns at the time. He highlighted the criticism faced by Vance, Parnell, and Rep. Jim Banks for opposing the resettlement program, noting that their objections were met with resistance from Republicans and Democrats who supported the initiative.
Republican lawmakers such as Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Sen. John Cornyn of Texas had backed admissions under Operation Allies Welcome.
Texas accepted roughly 10,000 Afghan refugees out of the 30,000 brought into the country.
Subsequent investigations, however, have raised questions over the extent of vetting applied at the time.
The issue resurfaced earlier this year when Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, who authorities said planned a terrorist attack on Election Day in Oklahoma, was found to have entered the country through the same Afghan resettlement program. Officials noted that he had not been adequately vetted before arriving in the United States.
Investigators now say Lakanwal’s case presents similar concerns.
According to CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Lakanwal worked “with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.”
NEW: Alleged National Guard shooter Rahmanullah Lakanwal worked with the CIA while serving as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, before being brought to the United States in 2021 by the Biden administration pic.twitter.com/tVpMYER6Wu [4]
— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) November 27, 2025 [5]
A report from the New York Times stated that Lakanwal had served in an Afghan “Zero Unit,” a paramilitary group partnered with the CIA.
The report cited individuals familiar with his background who said he suffered mental strain from combat operations and was affected by the casualties he had witnessed.
Lakanwal was reportedly disturbed by the toll of his unit’s missions, according to a childhood friend identified as Muhammad, who told the Times: “He would tell me and our friends that their military operations were very tough, their job was very difficult, and they were under a lot of pressure.”
CIA confirms that the DC Nat’l Guard shooter worked for a secret US-backed death squad called Zero Unit 03 in Kandahar, conducting nocturnal operations. His childhood friend in Khost confirms he was addicted to drugs and distrubed by the pointless killing he inflicted. pic.twitter.com/hKzjtoGuGz [6]
— Vitalist International (@VitalistInt) November 27, 2025 [7]
The investigation into the D.C. attack remains ongoing.