Two National Guard Soldiers Critically Injured in Shooting Near White House

Manama: Two West Virginia National Guard soldiers were critically injured Wednesday afternoon after being shot in Washington, DC, near the white house. Police say a lone gunman approached the service members near Farragut Square around 14:15 EST and immediately opened fire. Other National Guard personnel nearby heard the gunshots and intervened, subduing the suspect after he was shot, which the Washington, DC, mayor described as a “targeted attack.”

The incident took place when the soldiers were on a high-visibility patrol, which doubled the panic. The attacker, identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021, was taken into custody but has not cooperated with investigators. Authorities have not identified a motive.

Condemning the incident, President Donald Trump said his administration would begin measures to remove foreigners who do “not belong here”, after saying the Department of Homeland Security was “confident that the suspect in custody is a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan”. Adding to that, he said it was an act of terror and vowed the suspect would “pay the steepest possible price.”

The shooting prompted a temporary halt to flights at Reagan National Airport. Confusion arose after West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially reported the soldiers had died, later issuing a correction citing conflicting information. With nearly 2,200 Guard troops already deployed in Washington to address rising crime, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the president has ordered an additional 500 personnel to bolster security as the FBI continues to lead the investigation.

After the incident, the US has already suspended processing all immigration requests from Afghans. Citizenship and Immigration Services said the action was taken as part of "security and vetting protocols".

(Photo: AFP)