Chaos near the White House: Two National Guard soldiers shot

Two members of the West Virginia National Guard, Andrew Wolfe and Sarah Beckstrom, were seriously injured in a shooting just blocks from the White House on Wednesday. The victims, both newly sworn in, were conducting a "high-visibility patrol" near the Farragut West station subway when a gunman suddenly opened fire around 2:15 p.m.

The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is a 29-year-old Afghan national who entered the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome program in 2021. Authorities have identified him as the lone gunman and have released new information about his background and the response from the US government. The investigation is being treated as a potential act of terrorism.

Lakanwal was subdued by other Guard troops after a rapid response, and he is currently in custody receiving medical treatment. According to authorities, Lakanwal drove from Washington state, where he resides, to D.C. to carry out the attack. He has no prior criminal record but has worked with U.S. intelligence agencies in Afghanistan during the conflict.

Despite releasing new information about Lakanwal's background, authorities have yet to reveal a motive for the shooting. In response to the incident, the federal government has taken immediate action, pausing all new immigration applications from Afghan nationals indefinitely and deploying 500 additional National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., bringing the total to over 2,000.

The move has sparked controversy, particularly given that the deployment was already subject to legal challenge by local city officials. Local leaders have described the attack as a "targeted shooting," and the incident has raised fresh questions about domestic troop deployments, immigration policy, and public safety.

President Trump recently commented on the situation, stating that he will make America "totally safe again" and bring the perpetrator to swift justice.

this is getting crazy. 500 extra National Guard troops in DC already? what's going on here? it's like they're setting a precedent for mass deployments. i don't trust this one bit... and Rahmanullah Lakanwal, Afghan national who works with US intelligence agencies... sounds like a setup to me. something fishy about this whole story...

Ugh, this is just so messed up ...I mean, I get it, we're all scared now, but can't we have a more nuanced conversation about what's going on? This young guy, Rahmanullah, was basically vetted by the US government and still managed to snap...it raises some serious questions about our system. And let's not forget, he wasn't even born here , so how did we know he was a problem in the first place?

And now we're talking about deporting Afghan nationals indefinitely? That's just ridiculous . What does that even achieve? We're basically giving up on people who were fleeing war and violence...it's like, can't we find a better way to keep us safe than kicking people out?

As for the deployment of troops...I mean, I get it, safety is key, but can't we be more strategic about how we do that? We're basically flooding D.C. with National Guard troops...what's next, putting up walls or something ? And don't even get me started on President Trump's comments ...like, come on, dude, "totally safe again"? That's just hyperbole at this point.

We need to have a real conversation about what's going on here and how we can fix it .

Can't believe what's happening in DC right now... A shooting just blocks from the White House is devastating enough, but adding the fact that two innocent soldiers were injured and one suspect was even subdued by their own comrades is just heartbreaking . I'm also worried about the implications of this attack - it raises so many questions about domestic terrorism, immigration policy, and our national security .

I'm all for taking action to ensure public safety, but pausing new immigration applications from Afghan nationals feels like a knee-jerk reaction . What's really needed is more dialogue and cooperation between the government, local leaders, and community organizations to find solutions that work for everyone . And let's not forget about the mental health implications of this incident on our first responders - they're already under so much stress .

It's also concerning that President Trump is using language that sounds like a campaign slogan instead of a serious response to a tragedy . We need leaders who can bring people together and find common ground, not ones who exploit moments like these for their own gain .

Can't believe what's goin' down in DC right now . Two new recruits, seriously injured in a shooting just outside the White House... this is insane. And now they're tacklin' Rahmanullah Lakanwal like he's some kinda mastermind? Newsflash: we don't know squat about this dude yet . And what's with the sudden deployment of 500 more National Guard troops? This feels like a knee-jerk reaction to me... like they're tryin' to cover their own behinds . And let's not forget, these recruits were just out here doin' their job, and some psycho opens fire on 'em... that's just cruel . President Trump thinkin' he can solve all our problems with a few fancy words? Please, dude, this ain't 2016 anymore. We need real answers, not just empty threats .

OMG, this is so crazy! I'm still trying to wrap my head around what happened near the White House yesterday. I mean, a gunman showing up out of nowhere and opening fire on innocent soldiers? It's just heartbreaking . The fact that they were doing a "high-visibility patrol" to promote community engagement is just amazing - can't you just imagine the good vibes they were spreading?

But seriously, 500 more National Guard troops being deployed to D.C.? That's like, a whole lotta security . I get why they're worried about public safety and all, but at the same time, I'm concerned about civil liberties too . It's so frustrating when we can't have real conversations about these issues without everyone getting super worked up.

And what's with the president's statement? Making America "totally safe again" just sounds like more of the same old rhetoric to me. Can't we focus on finding real solutions instead of just shouting slogans from the rooftops?

I'm still trying to wrap my head around this whole thing... a high-visibility patrol just blocks from the White House gets ambushed by a shooter who's allegedly connected to U.S. intel agencies in Afghanistan . Now, I get that national security is a big deal, but deploying 500 more National Guard troops to D.C. without fully addressing the controversy surrounding this deployment seems like overkill.

I'm not saying I condone what happened here , but at the same time, I think we need to take a closer look at our immigration policies and how they're being handled . I mean, Rahmanullah Lakanwal just showed up in the U.S. through Operation Allies Welcome program in 2021 , and now his background's all over the news . What were the checks in place to prevent this from happening?

And while President Trump is trying to reassure us that he'll make America "totally safe again" , I think we need more nuanced discussions about public safety and domestic troop deployments . We can't just throw a bunch of troops at a problem without actually addressing the root causes .

This whole thing is super concerning . I mean, a 29-year-old Afghan dude shows up in the US through some program and decides to go all James Bond on us . And now we're pausing new immigration applications from Afghan nationals? That's like throwing out the baby with the bathwater, you know? It's gonna cause a lot of hurt & suffering to innocent people .

And let's talk about this whole 'targeted shooting' thing . What does that even mean? Is our president just gonna start labeling people as targets now? That's not how we build trust or solve problems, that's just more division & fear-mongering .

I'm all for keeping our country safe, but we need to do it in a way that's fair & logical, not knee-jerk reactions . And what about the 2,000 new National Guard troops they're sending in? That's just a lot of extra eyes on the street, right? Or is it just more militarization?

what's going on here? so some guy from afghanistan walks into DC with no criminal record but still manages to shoot two guards who are basically just doing their job? 500 more troops? that's a lot. is it really necessary to deploy so many people for one incident? and what about the immigrants who were already in the program? aren't they worried now? also, why didn't we know more about this guy beforehand? what was the system like that let him slip through?

This is just so senseless... Two young lives changed forever in an instant. I remember when I was younger, I used to worry about the world going mad, but I never thought it would happen like this. A 29-year-old man from Afghanistan, with no prior record, decides to unleash terror on innocent Americans, and suddenly we're talking about national security and immigration policies... It's all just so confusing. What's driving people to do such things? Is it fear? Anger? Desperation? And now the federal government is pausing new immigration applications from Afghan nationals indefinitely... will that fix anything or just create more problems? 2,000 National Guard troops deployed to Washington D.C., and I'm worried about our cities becoming war zones. We need answers, not just more security measures.

I'm genuinely concerned about this latest attack ... while I get what we need to do to keep our country safe, pausing all new immigration applications from Afghan nationals seems super unfair ... Rahmanullah Lakanwal's background is pretty murky and you can't just blame an entire group of people for one person's actions ... it's also kinda concerning that the President is playing it so hawkish without giving us more context ... what's really going on here? Shouldn't we be focusing on understanding why this happened instead of taking a knee-jerk reaction?

Man, this is so crazy! I'm still trying to process what happened in DC yesterday . Two brave National Guard members were just shot by some guy who was clearly motivated by something. And now, the government is pausing all new immigration applications from Afghan nationals? It's like they're putting a big target on their backs...I mean, people who are already vulnerable.

And what's with the sudden deployment of 500 more National Guard troops to DC? I get that security is important, but this feels like a knee-jerk reaction. What about addressing the root causes of violence like mental health or poverty? We need to talk about these issues, not just throw more people at it.

I'm also super confused about why the motive isn't clear yet...was it a hate crime? Was it related to the guy's work with US intelligence agencies? We deserve answers. And what's up with President Trump saying he'll make America "totally safe again"? That kind of rhetoric just makes me nervous...