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An Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members will be charged with first-degree murder, a US official said Friday, after one of the soldiers died of her wounds as President Donald Trump pledged to suspend migration from “third world countries.”The announcement marks an escalation in charges facing the assailant, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who opened fire on the guardsmen just a few blocks from the White House on Wednesday, the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday.”There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Jeanine Pirro, the attorney for Washington DC, told the Fox News program Fox & Friends.”It is a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun toward people who didn’t know what was coming.”Pirro’s announcement comes after Attorney General Pam Bondi pledged on Thursday to seek the death penalty against Lakanwal, describing him as a “monster.”US media said Lakanwal was part of the “Zero Units” — a CIA-backed Afghan paramilitary force — and entered the United States as part of a resettlement program following the American military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in the US capital as part of Trump’s crackdown on crime, died from her wounds, the president said on Thursday.He said the other soldier wounded in the attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life.””We still have hope,” Pirro said of Wolfe.”He’s still in critical condition. We are doing everything we can to assist his family.”Lakanwal, who was also wounded and is in custody, was said to have opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver.The shooting has brought together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military on American soil, immigration, and the lingering legacy of the 20-year conflict in Afghanistan — America’s longest war.- ‘Rigorous reexamination’ -Late Thursday Trump pledged on Truth Social to “permanently pause” migration from “all Third World Countries” and threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden, in a new escalation in his anti-immigration stance.When asked which specific nationalities would be affected, the US Department of Homeland Security, pointed AFP to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing US travel restrictions under an order from Trump in June.Separately, Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said on Thursday he had ordered a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”When asked to specify the countries, the USCIS referred AFP to the same list of 19 nations.More than 1.6 million US green card holders, roughly 12 percent of the total permanent resident population, were born in the countries listed, according to the latest immigration data available on the agency’s “Eligible to Naturalize Dashboard” analyzed by AFP.Afghanistan, which has over 116,000 green card holders, is also affected by a total halt of immigration application processing, ordered by the Trump administration after the recent shooting.CIA director John Ratcliffe said Lakanwal had been part of a US “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. He added that Lakanwal had been brought to the United States as part of a program to evacuate Afghans allied with the agency after the Taliban toppled the American-backed government in 2021.Lakanwal had been living in the western state of Washington with his family and drove across the country to the capital, officials said.The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the US because of what they called lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Biden.However, AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the military withdrawal, said they had undergone “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants. It said Lakanwal applied for asylum under Biden but received it later, under Trump.”This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” AfghanEvac wrote on the platform X, drawing a barrage of hateful comments.

An Afghan national accused of shooting two National Guard members will be charged with first-degree murder, a US official said Friday, in an escalation of charges following the incident that left one Guardsman dead.The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro has identified the assailant as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national who the US media described as a member of the “Zero Units” — a CIA-backed counterterrorism group.”There are certainly many more charges to come, but we are upgrading the initial charges of assault to murder in the first degree,” Jeanine Pirro, the attorney for Washington DC, told the Fox News program Fox & Friends.”It is a premeditated murder. There was an ambush with a gun toward people who didn’t know what was coming.”President Donald Trump has said that Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in the US capital as part of his crackdown on crime, died from her wounds.He said the other soldier wounded in Wednesday’s attack just blocks from the White House, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life.””We still have hope,” Pirro said of Wolfe.”He’s still in critical condition. We are doing everything we can to assist his family.”Pirro said earlier Lakanwal opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol near the White House.He had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the capital, she said.The shooting on the eve of the Thanksgiving holiday has brought together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.Following the shooting, Trump pledged to suspend migration from what he called “third world countries” and threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden, in a new escalation in his anti-migration stance.The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the US because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Biden.However, AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the military withdrawal, said they had undergone “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would suspend migration from what he called “third world countries”, a day after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington, killing one.His social media post, which also threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden, marked a new escalation in the anti-migration stance.Trump said earlier that Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in Washington as part of his crackdown on crime, had died from her wounds.The FBI has launched an international terror investigation as new details emerged about the alleged gunman, a 29-year-old Afghan national who was a member of the “Zero Units” — a CIA-backed counterterrorism group, according to multiple US media reports.The shooting on Wednesday, which officials described as an “ambush-style” attack, has brought together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.”I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” Trump wrote on social media.He linked the shooting and his decision to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the city. “If they weren’t effective, you probably wouldn’t have had this done,” Trump said. “Maybe this man was upset because he couldn’t practice crime.”Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, said on Thursday he had ordered a “full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”His agency later pointed to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing US travel restrictions under a previous order from Trump in June.More than 1.6 million US green card holders, roughly 12 percent of the total permanent resident population, were born in the countries listed, according to the latest immigration data available on the agency’s “Eligible to Naturalize Dashboard” analyzed by AFP.Cuba accounts for the largest share, with about 560,000 green card holders, followed by Haiti (235,000) and Venezuela (153,000).Afghanistan, which has over 116,000 green card holders, is also affected by a total halt of immigration application processing, ordered by the Trump administration after the shooting.- ‘Brazen, targeted’ attack -The other soldier wounded in Wednesday’s attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life”, Trump said. The suspected shooter was also in serious condition.The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspected assailant, identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the capital.In what she called a “brazen and targeted” attack, Pirro said the gunman opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol just a few blocks from the White House.Officials said they still had no clear understanding of the motive behind the shooting.- Afghan legacy -CIA director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and had been brought to the US as part of a program to evacuate Afghans who had worked with the agency.The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the US because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Biden.However, AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the military withdrawal, said they had undergone “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth said in the wake of Wednesday’s shooting that 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500.Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis. The move has prompted multiple lawsuits and allegations of authoritarian overreach by the White House.

Donald Trump said Thursday he would suspend migration from what the US leader called “third world countries”, a day after an Afghan national allegedly shot two National Guard soldiers in Washington, killing one. His social media post, which also threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under his predecessor Joe Biden, marked a new escalation in the anti-migration stance of a second term that has been dominated by Trump’s mass deportation campaign.Trump had earlier announced that Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in Washington as part of his crackdown on crime, had died from her wounds.The FBI has launched an international terror investigation as new details emerged about the alleged gunman, a 29-year-old Afghan national who worked with a CIA counterterrorism unit in Afghanistan, according to multiple US media reports.The shooting on Wednesday, which officials described as an “ambush-style” attack, has brought together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.”I will permanently pause migration from all Third World Countries to allow the U.S. system to fully recover,” Trump wrote on social media.He also threatened to reverse “millions” of admissions granted under Biden, and to “remove anyone who is not a net asset to the United States.”In a Thanksgiving video call with US troops the Republican leader said: “I want to express the anguish and the horror of our entire nation at the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation’s capital.”Trump linked the shooting and his decision to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the city. “If they weren’t effective, you probably wouldn’t have had this done,” he said, adding: “Maybe this man was upset because he couldn’t practice crime.”Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Thursday that he had ordered a “full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”His agency later pointed to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing US travel restrictions under a previous order from Trump in June.The Trump administration had earlier ordered an immediate halt to the processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan.- Gunned down in ‘brazen’ attack -The other soldier wounded in Wednesday’s attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life” Thursday, Trump said. The suspected shooter was also in a serious condition. The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspected assailant — identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal — had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the nation’s capital.In what she called a “brazen and targeted” attack, Pirro said the gunman opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol just a few blocks from the White House.The suspect was charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill — charges that Pirro said would immediately be upgraded to first-degree murder if any of the guardsmen died.Officials said they still had no clear understanding of the motive behind the shooting.- Afghan legacy -CIA director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and had been brought to the United States as part of a program to evacuate Afghans who had worked with the agency.The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the United States because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Biden.But AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States after the military withdrawal, said they undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.The group noted Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration, and would be eligible to request permanent residency a year later.”This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said its president, Shawn VanDiver.In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth announced 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis. The move has prompted multiple lawsuits and allegations of authoritarian overreach by the White House.

New Yorkers struggling to afford food in the country’s biggest city — and often exorbitantly expensive financial capital — may finally get a break if the incoming socialist mayor’s daring new plan succeeds.Some 1.4 million residents in the Big Apple are food insecure, meaning they’re unable to regularly access affordable, healthy food. One in three use food banks.Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani won a stunning victory, in part on his promise to open affordable city-run supermarkets.The 34-year-old vows the stores will focus “on keeping prices low, not making a profit.”It’s a novel idea in a city more associated with Wall Street wealth.The stores would be exempt from rent and taxes, with savings passed to shoppers, while centralized warehousing and distribution would aim to reduce overheads.But Mamdani’s experimental plan to open five pilot stores on unused city land, as well as free buses and subsidized childcare, is still only small-scale — and not universally welcome.Nevin Cohen, an associate professor at CUNY’s Urban Food Policy Institute, said Mamdani’s plan remains “pretty vague” on basic points like location or even type of store.President Donald Trump, who hosted Mamdani for a surprisingly cordial visit at the White House earlier this month, has led many right-wingers branding the incoming mayor a “communist.”And private supermarket mogul John Catsimatidis, a Trump ally, is campaigning against Mamdani’s city groceries, asking “how do you compete against that?”- Affordability crisis -No one disputes the need for cheaper and better food.More than 40 percent of people in the poorest of New York’s five boroughs, the Bronx, eat neither fruits nor vegetables in an average week.Some 1.8 million New Yorkers are already dependent on federal food subsidies, a program briefly frozen during a row in Congress over government spending this month.Even Trump agreed with Mamdani at their meeting that “getting housing built and food and prices” should be priorities.”The new word is affordability. Another word is just groceries,” Trump said. New York has an existing city program to lure supermarkets to underserved areas called FRESH. It uses tax and planning incentives to entice developers and private store operators.At one outpost of the FRESH program in East New York, a deprived Brooklyn neighborhood, a Fine Fare supermarket opened under a new apartment building in 2023.Laura Smith, the NYC Department of City Planning’s deputy executive director, told AFP that FRESH helps “encourage more fresh food supermarkets across the city in areas where residents have a harder time reaching full line grocery stores.”In return for permission to build extra apartments, the developers of the store and 40 others were obliged to allocate space for a supermarket. Thirty-five more are in the pipeline. –  National solution?  -Mamdani is cool on the FRESH project, saying on his website that instead of “spending millions of dollars to subsidize private grocery store operators we should redirect public money to a real ‘public option.'”But Fine Fare is a hit locally.”I like it because it’s close by to where I live and they gave everything you need,” said retiree Ivette Bravo, 63shopping for the holidays.The scheme, started under mayor Mike Bloomberg in 2009, has survived two other mayors and is fixed in city law.The FRESH program had been “modestly successful” as it “helps people not have to travel further,” said Cohen, the policy expert.If Mamdani’s project is successful, it will add another option.But everything being done adds up to a drop in the bucket for a city with some 1,000 supermarkets in total.In the end, solving food insecurity isn’t something New York can do alone, whatever the innovations, Cohen said.”That actually requires national-level policy.”

US President Donald Trump announced Thursday the death of one of two National Guard soldiers shot near the White House, as his government said it would respond by reviewing the permanent residency status of immigrants from 19 countries, including Afghanistan.The FBI meanwhile launched an international terrorism investigation as new details emerged about the alleged gunman, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had served with US troops in Afghanistan.The shooting on Wednesday, which officials described as an “ambush-style” attack, brings together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.”I want to express the anguish and the horror of our entire nation at the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation’s capital,” Trump said in a Thanksgiving video call with US troops. He called the suspect a “savage monster” before announcing that Sarah Beckstrom, a 20-year-old West Virginia National Guard member deployed in Washington as part of Trump’s crackdown on crime, had died from her injuries.Trump linked the shooting and his decision to send hundreds of National Guard troops to the city. “If they weren’t effective, you probably wouldn’t have had this done,” he said, adding: “Maybe this man was upset because he couldn’t practice crime.”Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Thursday that he had ordered a “full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”His agency later pointed to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing US travel restrictions under a previous order from Trump in June.The Trump administration had earlier ordered an immediate halt to the processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan.- Gunned down in ‘brazen’ attack -The other soldier injured in Wednesday’s attack, 24-year-old Andrew Wolfe, was “fighting for his life” Thursday, Trump said. The suspected shooter was also in a serious condition. The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspected assailant — identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal — had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the nation’s capital.In what she called a “brazen and targeted” attack, Pirro said the gunman opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol just a few blocks from the White House.The suspect was charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill — charges that Pirro said would immediately be upgraded to first-degree murder if any of the guardsmen died.Officials said they still had no clear understanding of the motive behind the shooting.- Afghan legacy -CIA director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and had been brought to the United States as part of a program to evacuate Afghans who had worked with the agency.The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the United States because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden.But AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States after the military withdrawal, said they undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.The group noted Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration, and would be eligible to request permanent residency a year later.”This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said its president, Shawn VanDiver.In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis. The move has prompted multiple lawsuits and allegations of authoritarian overreach by the White House.

The Trump administration on Thursday said it was reviewing permanent residency status of immigrants from 19 countries, including Afghanistan, in its latest response to the shooting of two National Guard soldiers near the White House.The FBI meanwhile said it had launched an international terrorism investigation as new details emerged about the alleged gunman, a 29-year-old Afghan national who had served with US troops in Afghanistan.The shooting, which officials described as an “ambush-style” attack, cast a grim shadow over the Thanksgiving holiday and triggered a hard-line, anti-immigrant response from President Donald Trump.In a brief video statement in which he called the shooting an “act of evil,” Trump on Wednesday painted immigrants as an existential threat to national security, while his administration ordered an immediate halt to the processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan.”We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” the president said.Joseph Edlow, Trump’s director of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), said Thursday that he had ordered a “full scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern.”His agency later pointed to a list of 19 countries — including Afghanistan, Cuba, Haiti, Iran and Myanmar — facing US travel restrictions under a previous order from Trump in June.The incident brings together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.- Gunned down in ‘brazen’ attack -Both soldiers remained in critical condition on Thursday, while the suspected shooter was in detention in hospital.The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspected assailant — identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal — had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the nation’s capital.In what she called a “brazen and targeted” attack, Pirro said the gunman opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol Wednesday just a few blocks shy of the White House.The suspect was charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill — charges that Pirro said would immediately be upgraded to first-degree murder if any of the guardsmen died.Officials said they still had no clear understanding of the motive behind the shooting.CIA director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and had been brought to the United States as part of a program to evacuate Afghans who had worked with the agency.Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis. The move has prompted multiple lawsuits and allegations of authoritarian overreach by the White House.In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. This despite a federal judge last week ordering a temporary suspension of the deployment on the grounds that it was likely illegal.- Afghan legacy -The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the United States because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden.But AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States after the military withdrawal, said they undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.The group noted Lakanwal had been granted asylum in April 2025, under the Trump administration, and would be eligible to request permanent residency a year later.”This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said its president, Shawn VanDiver.

The FBI said Thursday it had launched an international terrorism investigation after a gunman — identified as an Afghan national who served with US troops in Afghanistan — shot and critically injured two National Guard soldiers near the White House in Washington.The shooting, which officials described as an unprovoked, “ambush-style” attack, cast a grim shadow over the Thanksgiving holiday and triggered a hard-line, anti-immigrant response from President Donald Trump and some of his top law enforcement officials.In a brief video statement in which he called the shooting an “act of evil,” Trump painted immigrants as an existential threat to national security and his administration ordered an immediate halt to the processing of immigration applications from Afghanistan.”We must take all necessary measures to ensure the removal of any alien from any country who does not belong here, or add benefit to our country. If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them,” the president said.The US attorney for Washington DC, Jeanine Pirro, said the suspected assailant — identified as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29 — had been living in the western state of Washington and had driven across the country to the nation’s capital.- Gunned down in ‘brazen’ attack -In what she called a “brazen and targeted” attack, Pirro said the gunman opened fire with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver on a group of guardsmen on patrol Wednesday just a few blocks shy of the White House.”One guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again. Another guardsman is struck several times,” Pirro said.Both soldiers remained in critical condition on Thursday, while the suspected shooter was in detention in hospital. He was charged with three counts of assault with intent to kill — charges that Pirro said would immediately be upgraded to first-degree murder if one of the guardsmen died.Officials said they still had no clear understanding of the motive behind the shooting.CIA director John Ratcliffe said the suspect had been part of a CIA-backed “partner force” fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and had been brought to the United States as part of a program to evacuate Afghans who had worked with the agency.FBI director Kash Patel told reporters Thursday that officials were investigating any associates the suspect had either back home or in the United States.”That is what a broad-based international terrorism investigation looks like,” Patel said, without elaborating on what the precise terrorism motive might be.The incident brings together three politically explosive issues: Trump’s controversial use of the military at home, immigration, and the legacy of the US war in Afghanistan.Trump has deployed troops to several cities, all run by Democrats, including Washington, Los Angeles and Memphis. The move has prompted multiple lawsuits and allegations of authoritarian overreach by the White House.In the wake of Wednesday’s shooting, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced 500 more troops would deploy to Washington, bringing the total to 2,500. This despite a federal judge last week ordering a temporary suspension of the deployment on the grounds that it was likely illegal.- Afghan legacy -The heads of the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security and other senior Trump appointees all insisted that Lakanwal had been granted unvetted access to the United States because of lax asylum policies in the wake of the chaotic final US withdrawal from Afghanistan under former president Joe Biden.But AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the US after the military withdrawal, said they undergo “some of the most extensive security vetting” of any migrants.While Lakanwal had applied for asylum during the Biden administration, his application was approved under the Trump administration, the group said.”This individual’s isolated and violent act should not be used as an excuse to define or diminish an entire community,” said its president, Shawn VanDiver.More than 190,000 Afghans have been resettled to the United States since the Taliban takeover, according to the US State Department.

The FBI said Thursday it was launching a full-scale terror probe after a gunman carried out what officials described as an “ambush style” attack near the White House, shooting two National Guard soldiers multiple times with a revolver.The young soldiers shot Wednesday remained in critical condition, as America was jolted on what is normally a quiet day with family and friends on the Thanksgiving holiday.The shooter was identified as 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who worked with US forces in his country during the war against the Taliban and settled in America after the Islamists seized power again in 2021 and the Americans withdrew chaotically.The shooter faces charges of assault with intent to kill, and if the guardsmen die he will face first-degree murder charges, US Attorney for the District of Columbia Jean Pirro told a news conference.”You picked the wrong target, the wrong city and the wrong country,” Pirro said.”It is an ongoing investigation of terrorism,” FBI director Kash Patel told the same news conference.He said officials are investigating any associates the suspect had either back home or in the United States.”That is what a broad-based international terrorism investigation looks like,” Patel said.Officials said Lakanwal, armed with a .357 Smith and Wesson revolver, staged an ambush attack on the two National Guard members. The soldiers were deployed to Washington under President Donald Trump’s much-disputed use of military forces in Democrat-run cities to fight what he calls rampant violent crime.Pirro said the shooter walked up to the soldiers near a subway stop a stone’s throw from the White House and started shooting “without provocation, ambush style.””One guardsman is struck, goes down, and then the shooter leans over and strikes the guardsman again,” Pirro said. “Fellow guardsmen who were there responded, immediately, engaging the suspect, neutralizing the threat and subduing him at the scene.”