DC shooting suspect 'suffered mental issues' from fighting in CIA-backed 'Zero Unit' during war in Afghanistan
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15333035/rahmanullah-lakanwal-washington-dc-shooting-cia-afghanistan.html
The immigrant accused of shooting two National Guard troops in Washington D.C. had 'suffered mental issues' after his years of fighting in a CIA-backed military unit during the conflict in Afghanistan.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, is in custody after the horror shootout just 800 yards from the White House on Wednesday afternoon, which left two one West Virginian soldier dead and another battling critical injuries.
He arrived in America in 2021 as part of the disastrous US withdrawal in Afghanistan after serving as an ally of Special Forces troops in his CIA-backed 'Zero Unit.' Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 after his temporary visa lapsed, and in April 2025, it was granted by the Trump administration.
Now, a longtime friend has shared details about his mental health battle struggling with the horrors he saw and violence he carried out as part of his duty within the unit.
'When he saw blood, bodies, and the wounded, he could not tolerate it,' the childhood friend told The New York Times.
'It put a lot of pressure on his mind.'
The father-of-five was part of the elite paramilitary outfit which engaged in combat with the Taliban during the war in Afghanistan, often referred to as a 'death squad.'
While his role within the unit is not clear, his taskforce was often linked to night raids, covert operations and was suspected of carrying out executions.
'He would tell me and our friends that their military operations were very tough, their job was very difficult, and they were under a lot of pressure,' the friend said.
Hours after his identity was made public on Wednesday night, CIA Director John Ratcliffe sensationally admitted Lakanwal was known to his agency and had worked with the team.
He told Fox News that his involvement was 'as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation.'
He echoed comments made hours earlier by Trump that the former administration's 'disastrous' actions during the withdrawal allowed unvetted foreigners to enter the US on temporary visas.
'The Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the US government, including the CIA,' Ratcliffe said.
'The individual - and so many others - should have never been allowed to come here,' he added.
'Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration's catastrophic failures.'
But it later emerged the Trump administration was actually the authority who granted Lakanwal permission to stay in the US.