What were the Afghan "Zero Units" that sources say the National Guard shooting suspect worked for?

Exclusive Details Emerge on Afghan "Zero Unit" Background of National Guard Shooting Suspect

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the suspect in the shooting of two US National Guardsmen, has been linked to a mysterious Afghan intelligence unit known as the "Kandahar Strike Force" or "03" unit - one of several clandestine organizations operating under the umbrella of the National Directorate of Security (NDS). The NDS is an intelligence agency established with CIA backing for Afghanistan's previous US-backed government.

According to sources, Lakanwal had been part of this elite unit for eight years, where he worked on operations teams and gained notoriety for being responsible and professional. His background suggests a strong anti-Taliban stance, but the investigation has raised questions about possible ties to terrorist organizations.

It is worth noting that members of these "Zero Units" were considered among the most trusted domestic forces in Afghanistan by the US and its international partners. However, they have also been branded as "death squads" by human rights groups due to their alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings of civilians.

The suspect's ID badge bears the name "Firebase Gecko," which was a CIA and special forces base used in Kandahar, southern Afghanistan. The CIA has confirmed that Lakanwal worked with them prior to joining the unit.

Lakanwal's family faced threats from the Taliban after relocating him from their native province, leading to his asylum application being expedited due to his involvement with a high-risk unit. However, recent reports have raised concerns about his alleged radicalization in the US.

As officials investigate Lakanwal's background and motives, questions remain about the possibility of foreign terrorist connections or whether he acted alone.

I don’t usually comment but... this whole thing is just so weird . I mean, a guy who was part of this super secretive unit that the US trusted is now accused of killing American soldiers? It's like something out of a movie . And what's with the name "Firebase Gecko"? Sounds like some kinda codename from a CIA operation .

I don’t know how much more conspiracy theories I can take, but this whole thing is starting to sound like a real-life spy thriller . I just hope they get to the bottom of it and find out what really went down. This whole thing has me on edge .

I'm not surprised that this suspect had some shady past , but what really gets me is how complicated everything is . I mean, we're talking about a guy who was part of an elite unit that was meant to be our allies, but also had some questionable practices . It's like the line between good and bad got all blurry .

And can you believe how his family had to deal with threats from the Taliban just because he joined this high-risk unit? It's heartbreaking. I guess that's what happens when you're part of something that's not entirely under your control .

The fact that we're still trying to figure out if this guy was radicalized in the US or if there were any foreign connections is just so... complicated . But I'm hopeful that the truth will come out eventually , and maybe we'll learn something new about how these "Zero Units" operate .

And you know what? Despite all the chaos, I still think there's a glimmer of hope . We can use this as an opportunity to talk more about the complexities of war and terrorism, and how we can work towards peace .

I mean, can we really separate fact from fiction here? This guy was part of a super secretive unit that's been labeled as a "death squad" by some human rights groups, but others are saying he's a straight-shooter who fought against the Taliban. The CIA confirms they worked with him before, which is crazy, but also raises questions about how much control they had over his actions.

It's like, what if Lakanwal was just trying to protect himself and his family from the Taliban, but in the process, he got radicalized or something? And then he snapped and shot those two US soldiers. But what if he didn't snap? What if he was just a guy who got caught up in the situation?

I'm not saying we should excuse his actions or anything, but can't we at least try to understand where he's coming from? The fact that his family faced threats after moving him because of his involvement with this unit is just heartbreaking.

what's really going on here is that we're so used to throwing around labels like "death squad" without thinking about the context, right? I mean, we know these guys were part of a unit that was supposed to be elite and trusted by the US, but at what cost? We're essentially saying one person's heroism can become another's villainy just because they crossed paths with some bad actors. It's not black and white, you feel me? Lakanwal's background is complex, just like a lot of people's. Shouldn't we be having this conversation about nuance instead of just jumping to conclusions?

This whole thing is super complicated... I mean, you've got this Afghan unit, the Kandahar Strike Force, that's been working with the CIA and US military for years. But at the same time, human rights groups are calling them out for their alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings. It's like, how can we trust someone who's worked on operations teams for 8 years? And then you've got this guy, Lakanwal, who's been part of that unit and is now accused of shooting two US National Guardsmen... it just doesn't add up.

What I'm trying to say is that we need more information here. We can't just assume that Lakanwal acted alone or that he was working with terrorist organizations. The CIA's confirmation that he worked with them before joining the unit is interesting, but it raises even more questions. Was there some kind of coordination going on between the US and this Afghan unit? How did we not know about this until now?

I think we need to take a step back and look at the bigger picture here. We're dealing with intelligence agencies, special forces, and alleged terrorist connections... it's a lot to wrap your head around. We need more transparency and accountability so that we can better understand what's going on.

idk how this is possible think they're hiding something from us... 8 yrs with a unit that sounds like a death squad & now we gotta worry 'bout him being connected to terrorism? it's like they didn't vet him properly, you know? i mean, the CIA had dealings w/ him, but what about his background checks in here? seems fishy

OMG u guys!!! this is getting CRAZY! so rahmanullah lakanwal was part of these "zero units" 4 years & was considered one of the most trusted guys in afghanistan by the US lol but human rights groups call them out 4 being like death squads, which is WILD

& now that he's got an ID badge with "firebase gecko" on it, which was a CIA base, u gotta wonder wut kinda connections he had w/ them and how did his asylum get expedited so fast? sounds fishy 2 me

this is getting outta hand... another crazy story comes to light. so this dude joins some secret afghan unit for 8 years, does some op teams, and then goes off and shoots two US soldiers? what's gonna be found out next? did he act on his own or was it a setup? the more i read about this kandahar strike force thing, the creepier it gets. like these zero units were trusted by everyone but labeled as death squads... sounds sketchy. and now there's rumors of him being radicalized in the us... this is getting serious

Dude, this just gets weirder - an Afghan "death squad" member is suspected of targeting US National Guardsmen? Something's not adding up here...

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one ... like if someone from our school was part of a secret squad that was considered super trusted by other countries but also had a bad rep for killing civilians, it would be pretty wild, right? And I feel bad for his family because they got threats from the Taliban and now he's in trouble in the US too...

Man... this whole thing is like, soooo deep . I mean, you got this guy who was part of these elite "Zero Units" in Afghanistan, and on paper, they were just trying to take down the Taliban, right? But then you start digging, and it's like, what are we really seeing here? Are we looking at some kind of proxy war, where countries are using local guys to do their dirty work?

And then you got this ID badge with "Firebase Gecko" on it... that's just wild . It's like, who is Lakanwal working for, really? Is he a patriot or just a pawn in someone else's game? And what about these human rights groups calling them "death squads"? Are we just talking about semantics here or is there something more going on?

I mean, I'm not saying that the Taliban isn't a bad dude , but sometimes you gotta wonder if we're just creating more problems by trying to solve others. It's like, are we so desperate for security and control that we'll do whatever it takes, even if it means sacrificing our own humanity?

This whole thing is giving me major existential crisis vibes . Like, what does it mean to be a human being in a world where loyalty and identity can be fluid at best?

this is so messed up the whole zero unit thing is super sketchy they're basically these elite agents with a rep for being pro-anti taliban but then human rights groups call them out for these extrajudicial killings its like they're stuck in a bad spy movie and now we got this guy who's clearly been radicalized while living here in the US i mean what if he did get influenced by some terrorist group or org? its not like we don't have enough problems with extremism already

idk how much you should trust someone who's been part of a "death squad" , I mean, i get that they were anti-Taliban but come on, that's just a fancy way of saying they've done some questionable stuff in the past. and now we're wondering if he was radicalized by us or what? it's all so confusing. can't we just get to the bottom of this without jumping to conclusions?

omg u no why i'm thinkin this is all super fishy lol !!! Rahmanullah Lakanwal's ID badge with "Firebase Gecko" on it sounds like some spy thriller movie and the CIA confirmin he worked with them prior to joinin that elite unit? like, what's goin on here??

and don't even get me started on these "Zero Units" they're like these mysterious ppl who are supposed to be all trustworthy but end up bein called out for murderin civs and now this guy Lakanwal is suspected of terrorism? i need more info before i can even begin to form an opinon

can we pls just get to the bottom of this??

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this one... how can someone who was part of a 'trusted' unit like that end up committing such a horrific act? It's like, you'd think with all the vetting and background checks, they would've picked up on some red flags. But at the same time, I can see why his family had to leave their home province due to Taliban threats... And what's with the ID badge name "Firebase Gecko"? Is that just a weird coincidence or what?

So this guy joins these super secretive "Zero Units" in Afghanistan for 8 years and suddenly becomes a suspect in a shooting that killed two US soldiers . The CIA is already saying they worked with him before, but how much do we really know about what's going on? These units are supposed to be the good guys, keeping anti-Taliban forces strong, but human rights groups call them "death squads". That raises some serious questions about our allies and who exactly we're trusting . And now, his family had to move because of threats from the Taliban... it's like the US is caught in this web of global instability . We need more answers on how these units operate and what happens when they go rogue .

I mean, can you imagine being part of some top-secret Afghan unit with a name like "Firebase Gecko"? It sounds like a scene from a spy movie! But seriously, it's crazy to think that this guy was involved in ops teams and worked with the CIA for 8 years. The whole thing is just so complex and raises so many questions... did he really act alone or was there more going on? And what about those human rights groups calling out these "Zero Units" as death squads? It's like, you can't just label people without hearing their side of the story, right?

omg this is getting more complicated by the minute! i cant believe that someone who was considered trustworthy by the US had a dark past its like our expectations were shattered. what does it mean that he worked with the CIA and special forces though? did they know about his alleged radicalization?