Two national guard members in critical condition after Washington DC shooting

Two US National Guardsmen in critical condition after shooting near White House.

A targeted attack on two West Virginia National Guardsmen left them critically injured, authorities confirmed. The incident has raised alarm bells across the nation's capital as it comes at a time when troops have been deployed to Washington under an order by President Donald Trump.

According to FBI Director Kash Patel, both guardsmen are being treated in hospital and officials described the shooting as targeted. A suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the country under a Biden-era policy, has been taken into custody. He is believed to have shot the two Guardsmen while they were near Farragut West Metro Station.

The incident has sparked controversy with Trump calling it "an assault on a federal officer" and demanding that all Afghans who entered the US on Operation Allies Welcome be investigated. The operation allows Afghans who worked for the US or its allies to enter the country after leaving Afghanistan.

Trump's order for 500 additional National Guard troops has raised questions about his administration's security protocols. If an appeals court does not grant Trump's motion, national guard troops could be ordered out of Washington by mid-December.

Vice-President Mike Pence asked Americans to say a prayer for the injured guardsmen and called on all soldiers to remain vigilant as they are "the sword and shield of the United States." Former President Barack Obama condemned the shooting in a statement, saying "violence has no place in America."

The incident has raised concerns about national security, with law enforcement officials ordering office buildings in Farragut Square to be locked down. National Guard troops have been positioned across Washington since August, when Trump declared a "crime emergency" and ordered their deployment.

While several states plan to end their deployments by November 30th, the controversy surrounding the Guardsmen's presence has raised questions about the safety of those deployed to the nation's capital.

omg this is so alarming i mean what's with all these shootings lately in DC?? it's like they're happening nonstop and now two innocent soldiers are critically injured my heart goes out to them & their families and it's just frustrating that we can't even agree on how to keep our country safe the situation is getting so complicated and i'm worried about those 500 additional National Guard troops being deployed in mid-december what if something like this happens again? at least the fact that the suspect was taken into custody might bring some relief but we need to make sure our security protocols are on point and that everyone is doing their part to prevent such incidents from happening in the future

just heard about this awful incident near White House... two US National Guardsmen shot and left critically injured it's like something out of a nightmare ️ Rahmanullah Lakanwal is in custody, but that doesn't make me feel any better

I'm so worried about the safety of those deployed to DC ️. We need to think about what's really important here - our brave troops and the people they're protecting

President Trump is calling for an investigation, which I get, but let's not jump to conclusions or make assumptions . We need to support our soldiers and their families during this tough time

And can we please just take a moment to think about what would happen if we didn't have laws like Operation Allies Welcome? It's all about finding ways to keep everyone safe and secure

I'm so worried about this latest incident, it's just crazy that there was a shooting near the White House with people actually injured . And now, the whole thing is getting politicized and it's all because of Trump wanting to make a point... like what's the real issue here? I mean, we should be focusing on keeping our national guardsmen safe, not trying to whip up some nationalistic fervor . And can we please just get rid of this "investigation" thing with Trump, it's just making everyone look suspicious . What if it was a mistake or something? Can't we just leave the investigation open and let it unfold instead of jumping to conclusions .

omg this is getting crazy like seriously what's going on in DC right now? and then there's Trump stirring up drama... can't he just keep his mouth shut for once? anyway, glad the guardsmen are receiving medical attention tho hope they recover ASAP. and Rahmanullah Lakanwal being taken into custody is a huge relief but still, we gotta think about how this whole thing came down what were the circumstances leading to this shooting?!? anyway, let's just take a deep breath and focus on getting those guardsmen better

Just wondering how many people think it's a bad idea for Trump to be making threats against Afghan nationals now that they're in the country? It feels like he's just trying to distract from something else and I don't get why we can't focus on actually solving problems instead of targeting innocent people . And honestly, shouldn't we be more worried about the fact that a gun went off near the White House? Like, how did it even happen? Shouldn't we have better security measures in place? It's not like this is the first time something like this has happened, and yet Trump still thinks he can just wave his hand and make it all go away .

Man, this is super worrying . What's going on with Trump's security protocols? He's sending more troops in but also kinda stirring up trouble . I get that everyone's got an opinion, but can't we just have a calm conversation about how to keep our country safe without making it all about fear and blame?

I mean, these National Guardsmen are just doing their job, protecting the nation's capital... they shouldn't be targeted like that . And what's with this "investigation" of Afghan nationals? It feels like we're playing politics with people's lives .

And let's not forget about Obama's words - they really hit home: violence has no place in America . We need to focus on healing and understanding, not tearing each other apart .