Shockwaves in DC After National Guard Shooting Near White House
So here’s what’s unfolding right now in Washington, and it’s shaken the city just as people were getting ready for Thanksgiving. Two members of the West Virginia National Guard, who were deployed in the capital, were shot just a few blocks from the White House. Both soldiers were rushed to the hospital and remain in critical condition. It’s the kind of incident that instantly stops everyone in their tracks — especially because these service members were stationed in DC as part of President Donald Trump’s earlier decision to deploy federal troops to help enforce law and order in the city.
Authorities reacted quickly, and a suspect was taken into custody not long after the shooting. He’s been identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who arrived in the United States back in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the emergency program launched during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. He was injured during the confrontation with law enforcement but is expected to survive. Officials confirmed his identity and noted that he had since applied for asylum and was granted it earlier this year.
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The political response was immediate and intense. President Trump released a video statement from Mar-a-Lago, calling the incident a “monstrous ambush-style attack” and describing it as terrorism. He then pivoted to a broader argument about national security, insisting that the US must now re-examine every Afghan who entered the country under the Biden administration’s evacuation program. His remarks went far beyond the facts of this particular case, extending into broader warnings about immigration, national security threats, and what he called failures of vetting.
Top officials, including FBI Director Kash Patel and DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, confirmed that the shooting is being investigated as a national security matter. Patel said federal, state, and local agencies are fully mobilized to understand whether the attacker acted alone and what might have motivated him. At the same time, the White House moved swiftly to block an earlier court ruling that would have forced the National Guard to be withdrawn from the city, arguing that their presence is necessary given the heightened threat environment.
Beyond the politics, the human impact is deeply felt. National Guard members stationed in the capital have become a familiar part of the cityscape, and many residents have come to see them as disciplined, steady figures standing watch in uncertain times. Now, after this attack, there’s a renewed sense of vulnerability — not only for the public, but for the troops themselves, who suddenly find the dangers of their assignment thrust into stark focus.
As investigators continue piecing together the suspect’s background and motives, the event is already sparking a national debate about immigration, vetting, domestic security, and the role of the National Guard on US streets. And with two critically injured soldiers fighting for their lives, the emotional weight of this story is being felt far beyond Washington.
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