The Kabul Tribune (KT) — The Afghan national accused of ambushing National
Guard troops near the White House reportedly struggled for years with mental
health issues stemming from his time in a notorious CIA-backed paramilitary
group in Afghanistan, the New York Post reported Friday.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, was part of
an elite Afghan unit known as the “Zero Units” or “death squads,” which fought
alongside U.S. forces against the Taliban for more than a decade. According to
a longtime childhood friend, Lakanwal “could not tolerate” the violence he
witnessed, which included bloodshed, wounded civilians, and intense military
operations.
Lakanwal, a father of five, relocated to Bellingham,
Washington, after fleeing Afghanistan following the U.S. withdrawal in 2021. He
reportedly joined the Zero Units as a security guard in 2012 at age 16 and
remained for nearly ten years, eventually serving as a team leader and GPS
specialist.
The friend told the New York Post that the pressures of
these operations contributed to spiraling mental health issues, with Lakanwal
reportedly turning to substances such as marijuana to cope. The stress also
reportedly affected his personal life, including a brief marriage and divorce
in 2021.
While the Zero Units were formally part of Afghanistan’s
intelligence agency, they were trained, equipped, and supported by the CIA and
U.S. special operations forces, according to Rolling Stone. The units gained a
reputation for extreme violence, including alleged executions, torture, and
indiscriminate killings, earning the nickname “Death Squads.” Human Rights
Watch has cited numerous reports of extrajudicial killings and enforced
disappearances by these units across Afghanistan.
Despite this background, Lakanwal was relocated to the
United States under the Biden administration’s Operation Allies Welcome, which
resettled nearly 80,000 Afghans, including about 10,000 members of Zero Units,
primarily in the Seattle area. Neighbors in Bellingham described Lakanwal and
his family as quiet, though he reportedly spent time playing video games at
home.
Earlier this week, Lakanwal allegedly drove to Washington,
D.C., and ambushed two National Guard troops just blocks from the White House,
leaving one critically injured in the head and both in grave condition. It
remains unclear why he allegedly turned against the United States, though his
former unit was known for strict loyalty.
The CIA has denied allegations of Zero Unit abuses, calling
reports of their violence largely Taliban propaganda.
