The brutal ambush of two freshly sworn National Guard members in Washington, D.C., is the kind of lawlessness that wakes honest Americans up in the middle of the night. Authorities have identified the suspect as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who opened fire near the White House and left two guards critically wounded before he was shot and taken into custody.
Worse still, this man arrived in our country in September 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, the Biden administration’s chaotic evacuation program that admitted tens of thousands of Afghans in the wake of America’s withdrawal. That program was touted as humane but was rushed, sloppy, and left too many dangerous questions unanswered about who was actually coming across our borders.
Investigators now say Lakanwal had worked with U.S.-backed units in Afghanistan, including forces tied to CIA programs — the very people some in Washington insisted we could vet by fiat and rush into American communities. If true, his background should have set off red flags, not been papered over by political expediency and bureaucratic finger-pointing.
Reports also indicate Lakanwal applied for asylum in 2024 and was granted status in April 2025, a reminder that post-admission oversight matters as much as initial screening. Families and communities expect the government to keep dangerous people out and to track those admitted — basic responsibilities that were clearly neglected.
This is not a moment for excuses from career officials or more lectures about “inclusion” from left-wing elites who never have to patrol our streets. Federal agencies and the Biden-era policies that prioritized throughput over security must be held accountable for any gaps that allowed a suspected attacker to slip through and plan a cross-country assault on our soldiers.
President Trump and other leaders responded swiftly — ordering reinforcements to the capital and calling for an immediate reevaluation of Afghan admissions — the only responsible thing to do while the FBI and other authorities complete their investigation. Americans who put on a uniform deserve a government that puts their safety above reputational politics and open-border gestures.
Our prayers are with the two Guardsmen who answered the call to defend the republic and now lie fighting for their lives, and our anger should be directed at any policymaker who treated national security like a checkbox. Tougher screening, real tracking, and consequences for those who failed to protect our citizens are not just reasonable demands — they are the minimum owed to every hardworking American and every soldier who stands watch for our freedom.
