The ambush in downtown Washington on November 26 that left two West Virginia National Guard members shot just blocks from the White House is nothing short of horrifying, and hardworking Americans deserve straight talk about what happened. One of the soldiers, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, has died and the other, Andrew Wolfe, remains critically injured after what officials described as a targeted attack; the suspect was wounded and taken into custody. This was an attack on our uniformed defenders standing watch for our capital, and every citizen should feel anger that these troops were exposed on American soil in plain daylight.
The alleged attacker has been identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who arrived in the United States under Operation Allies Welcome in 2021 and was later granted asylum this year, according to multiple reports. He reportedly lived in Washington state before traveling to D.C., and his background includes service with a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan — a detail that raises uncomfortable questions about how someone with that history slipped through whatever checks were supposed to protect Americans. For families who sent their kids to serve, these revelations are a bitter pill; the country must honor their sacrifice by demanding accountability, not excuses.
Law enforcement described the shooting as ambush-style, with the attacker firing repeatedly and using a .357 revolver, even attempting to use a guardswoman’s weapon during the chaos before being wounded by return fire. The close-quarters nature of the attack — in broad daylight, in the heart of the capital — strips away any pretence that this was random; it reads like a deliberate strike on our security posture. Americans who voted for stronger borders and common-sense vetting warned about these risks; now we see the dangerous consequences when those warnings go unheeded.
The political response has been predictable: elected leaders scrambling and the federal government promising reviews after the fact. The Department of Homeland Security has already halted certain Afghan immigration processing while the administration reviews vetting protocols, and the president has vowed to take action — but reviews after tragedies are cold comfort to grieving families. This is not the time for platitudes; it is the time for decisive policy changes that put American lives first and end the reckless policies that let potential threats into our communities.
We must also say plainly that our National Guard and law enforcement deserve more than words — they deserve a nation that will defend them with sound policy. Calls to review or even deport relatives of suspects reflect the raw anger and demand for justice felt by many; whatever legal steps are taken must be rigorous and fair, but they must also prioritize the safety of Americans above all else. Washington elites who peddle open-borders sentiment owe taxpayers and our military an explanation for how this situation was allowed to develop.
Hardworking Americans are entitled to a clear set of reforms: immediate suspension of resettlement flows from regions that present evident security risks, a top-to-bottom audit of asylum and parole approvals, and real consequences for bureaucratic failures. We should support our troops with robust protections, finally secure our borders, and demand that the people running our immigration system answer for their failures. Until Washington chooses safety over ideology, tragedies like this will keep happening — and the public will rightly hold them to account.
