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.
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.
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 
it's like something out of a nightmare 
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Rahmanullah Lakanwal is in custody, but that doesn't make me feel any better 
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It's all about finding ways to keep everyone safe and secure 
I mean, we should be focusing on keeping our national guardsmen safe, not trying to whip up some nationalistic fervor 
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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? 
hope they recover ASAP. and Rahmanullah Lakanwal being taken into custody is a huge relief 
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