A former CIA-backed Afghan commando accused of gunning down two West Virginia National Guard troops steps from the White House was brought to the United States under a secret 2021 evacuation deal that moved thousands of “Zero Unit” fighters and their families onto American soil, according to internal military records and current and former officials.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a seasoned member of the National Strike Unit (NSU) associated with the CIA and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, has found himself at the center of controversy. Lakanwal, who reportedly played a role in securing Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the tumultuous evacuation operation, arrived in the United States with his family in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome.
The situation took a dark turn following a shocking attack on Thanksgiving Eve in Washington, D.C., described by President Donald Trump as a “monstrous, ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House.” The attack claimed the life of 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and left 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe in critical condition. Both were on high-visibility patrols as part of a crime-reduction initiative in the capital.
In response to Beckstrom’s tragic death, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced that charges against Lakanwal would be upgraded to first-degree murder. Former intelligence sources revealed that a 2021 CIA arrangement allowed Zero Unit forces to secure the airport during the Biden administration’s hasty withdrawal in exchange for airlifts to the U.S. for numerous fighters and their families.
Pentagon after-action reports indicate that commanders initially anticipated around 6,000 NSU evacuees. However, they were later informed that nearly 38,800 individuals needed evacuation, necessitating the diversion of seats on outbound aircraft and a recommendation to activate the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to handle the increased load.
John Ratcliffe, former Director of National Intelligence and ex-CIA official, confirmed that the alleged shooter had collaborated with U.S. government entities, including the CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar. Ratcliffe criticized the decision to allow such individuals entry into the U.S., attributing the incident to what he described as “the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Former Director of National Intelligence and ex‑CIA official John Ratcliffe confirmed that the alleged shooter “worked with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” arguing that “the individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here” and warning that Americans are now enduring “the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on X that the attacker “was ‘vetted’ by the intelligence community” only as a battlefield asset in Afghanistan, not for “his suitability to come to America and live among us,” and said over 85,000 Afghans were rushed into the country under loosened standards during the withdrawal.
Additional reporting and leaked images circulated by CIA alum Sarah Adams indicate Lakanwal carried an ID badge for “NSU 03,” a Kandahar Strike Force element of the Zero Units operating out of Firebase Gecko, a facility long used by CIA and U.S. special operations forces. AfghanEvac, a U.S. advocacy coalition, has reportedly confirmed he served in “Unit 03”, was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021, arrived under humanitarian parole, later gained asylum, and had a Special Immigrant Visa case that would have required CIA review.
Lakanwal is now jailed and accused of turning his CIA‑sponsored combat skills on American troops he once nominally served alongside. As of the latest reports, he has not entered a plea on the upgraded murder charge and is “not cooperating with law enforcement,” while his case intensifies scrutiny of the covert deal that quietly resettled thousands of Zero Unit fighters inside the United States.
