An Afghan refugee shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington near the White House.
Near the White House in Washington, D.C., an Afghan refugee shot two National Guard soldiers in an act of violence that killed one and critically wounded the other.
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, has been charged in the attack. Lakanwal provided assistance to U.S. forces during the war in Afghanistan prior to the disastrous 2021 withdrawal from the country.
In response, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that “Effective immediately, processing of all immigration requests relating to Afghan nationals is stopped indefinitely pending further review of security and vetting protocols. The protection and safety of our homeland and of the American people remains our singular focus and mission.”
The motive of Lakanwal remains unknown. His actions followed comments by Democratic officials that caused fear of the National Guard among American citizens.
Just three days before the tragic shooting, Democratic Senator Elissa Slotkin appeared on ABC News and expressed her fear that National Guard members would soon attack American civilians.
“It makes me incredibly nervous that we’re about to see people in law enforcement, people in uniformed military, get nervous, get stressed, shoot at American civilians,” said Slotkin in the news interview.
Slotkin and other Democrats have repeatedly referred to the deployment of the National Guard to D.C. as an “invasion” in which an “authoritarian” president is using the military to target civilians. Slotkin, along with Senator Mark Kelly and Representatives Jason Crow, Maggie Goodlander, Chrissy Houlahan, and Chris Deluzio, made a video that strongly suggested that members of the National Guard or active-duty military members should disobey the president’s direct orders.
The Democratic governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker, has also repeatedly referred to the possible deployment of troops to Chicago as an “invasion”.
Senator Jeff Merkley, a Democrat of Oregon, referred to possible deployment in Portland saying, “Trump troops are deliberately attacking peaceful protestors to incite violence.”
California Democratic Representative Maxine Waters wrote that Trump is a “would-be dictator” who is “just itching to invoke martial law, and yes, even push for civil war.”
The rhetorical campaign against the National Guard occurred just before the shooting that claimed the life of one member and critically injured another.
Regardless of the unknown motive of the shooter in D.C., the spike in violent rhetoric against the National Guard by Democratic officials is a cause for concern as the nation navigates a charged political landscape.
