A White House-area shooting on Wednesday left two National Guard members critically injured, raising serious questions about U.S. vetting processes. The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national, previously worked with the CIA and U.S. Special Forces as part of the controversial Kandahar Strike Force, a militia documented to have committed torture, extrajudicial killings, and disappearances during the U.S. occupation of Afghanistan.
Lakanwal arrived in the United States in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a program designed to relocate Afghans who had assisted U.S. forces. While intended as a humanitarian initiative, the program’s oversight failures are now under scrutiny as Washington grapples with the fallout of decades-long alliances with armed militias abroad.
The Kandahar Strike Force, which Lakanwal was part of, operated as a covert extension of U.S. intelligence in Afghanistan. Human rights organizations have long criticized its actions as violations of both international law and Islamic principles, including extra judicial killings and torture. The attack in Washington exposes the consequences of empowering such networks without accountability.
President Donald Trump has called for a review of all Afghan arrivals under the Biden administration, framing the incident as a security lapse. Yet this political maneuver distracts from the deeper reality: U.S. foreign policy created the conditions for this attack, funding and arming militias while ignoring long-term ethical and security consequences.
The incident also highlights broader geopolitical hypocrisy. While Israel continues its aggressive campaign in Gaza, supported by U.S. and UK backing, Arab nations deepen economic and political ties with Tel Aviv, betraying Islamic values of justice and protection of the oppressed. Civilians in Gaza face starvation, destroyed hospitals, and mass displacement, while international actors prioritize trade, weapons deals, and strategic alliances over morality.
As investigations continue, the shooting serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of U.S.-led interventions. From Afghanistan to Gaza, Washington, its Western allies, and complicit regional governments are accountable not only for the destabilization they cause but for the ethical failures that fuel violence, betray the oppressed, and violate the core principles of Islamic justice.
