A former CIA-backed Afghan commando accused of gunning down two West Virginia National Guard troops steps from the White House was brought to the United States under a secret 2021 evacuation deal that moved thousands of “Zero Unit” fighters and their families onto American soil, according to internal military records and current and former officials.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a seasoned member of the National Strike Unit (NSU) associated with the CIA and Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security, is alleged to have played a role in securing Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the frantic evacuation of non-combatants. Subsequently, he and his family arrived in the United States in September 2021 as part of Operation Allies Welcome.

Former President Donald Trump described the Thanksgiving-eve shooting as “a monstrous, ambush-style attack just steps away from the White House.” The incident involved 20-year-old Army Specialist Sarah Beckstrom and 24-year-old Air Force Staff Sergeant Andrew Wolfe, who were both on high-visibility patrols in Washington, D.C., as part of a crime-reduction initiative.

Trump announced that Beckstrom succumbed to her injuries, while Wolfe remains in critical condition. In response, U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro has announced upgraded charges against Lakanwal, who will now face first-degree murder charges.

According to Just the News, a former intelligence officer revealed details of a 2021 agreement with the CIA. Under this deal, Zero Unit forces were tasked with securing HKIA during the hasty withdrawal undertaken by the Biden administration. In return, they were promised airlifts to the United States for “tens of thousands” of fighters and their families.

Documents from the Pentagon’s after-action reports indicate that commanders initially expected around 6,000 NSU evacuees. However, mid-operation, it became clear that the number had surged to nearly 38,800. This unexpected increase forced the military to alter plans, reallocating seats on outbound flights and recommending the activation of the Civil Reserve Air Fleet to manage the additional load.

Former Director of National Intelligence and ex‑CIA official John Ratcliffe confirmed that the alleged shooter “worked with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” arguing that “the individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here” and warning that Americans are now enduring “the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”

Joe Kent, director of the National Counterterrorism Center, wrote on X that the attacker “was ‘vetted’ by the intelligence community” only as a battlefield asset in Afghanistan, not for “his suitability to come to America and live among us,” and said over 85,000 Afghans were rushed into the country under loosened standards during the withdrawal.​

Additional reporting and leaked images circulated by CIA alum Sarah Adams indicate Lakanwal carried an ID badge for “NSU 03,” a Kandahar Strike Force element of the Zero Units operating out of Firebase Gecko, a facility long used by CIA and U.S. special operations forces. AfghanEvac, a U.S. advocacy coalition, has reportedly confirmed he served in “Unit 03”, was evacuated by the U.S. military in August 2021, arrived under humanitarian parole, later gained asylum, and had a Special Immigrant Visa case that would have required CIA review.​

Lakanwal is now jailed and accused of turning his CIA‑sponsored combat skills on American troops he once nominally served alongside. As of the latest reports, he has not entered a plea on the upgraded murder charge and is “not cooperating with law enforcement,” while his case intensifies scrutiny of the covert deal that quietly resettled thousands of Zero Unit fighters inside the United States.​