Trump calls for Afghan refugees to be investigated after shooting

Streets are blocked after reports that two National Guard soldiers were shot near the White House in Washington (Anthony Peltier/AP)

President Donald Trump called for the reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who entered under the Biden administration after the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington DC.

Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser described it as “a targeted shooting” and said the two victims were in critical condition.

Law enforcement officials told the Associated Press (AP) that a suspect in custody was an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration programme which evacuated and resettled Afghans after the US withdrawal from the country.

The 29-year-old suspect, who was shot and had wounds that were not believed to be life-threatening, has been identified by law enforcement officials as Rahmanullah Lakanwal, but authorities were still working to fully confirm his background, according to AP.

“The hearts of all Americans tonight are with those two members of the West Virginia National Guard and their families…

We will make America totally safe again, and we will bring the perpetrator of this barbaric attack to swift and certain justice.” — President Trump pic.twitter.com/zOkJGZyGmk

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) November 27, 2025

In a video message released on social media on Wednesday night, Mr Trump said: “If they can’t love our country, we don’t want them.”

He called the shooting “a crime against our entire nation”.

The Trump administration quickly ordered 500 more National Guard members to Washington. Defence secretary Pete Hegseth said Mr Trump asked him to send the troops.

Nearly 2,200 troops are assigned to the joint task force operating in the city, according to the government’s latest update.

The Operation Allies Welcome initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the US, many of whom had worked alongside US troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.

It has since faced intense scrutiny from Trump and his allies, congressional Republicans and some government watchdogs over gaps in the vetting process and the speed of admissions, even as advocates say it offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

A Washington Metropolitan Police officer directs pedestrians after two National Guard soldiers were shot (Evan Vucci/AP)

Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant Washington police chief, said investigators had no information on a motive.

He said the assailant “came around the corner” and immediately started firing at the troops roughly two blocks northwest of the White House, citing video reviewed by investigators.

Hearing gunfire, other troops in the area ran over and held down the gunman after he was shot, he said.

“It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed these members of the National Guard,” Mr Carroll said, adding that it was not clear whether one of the guard members or a law enforcement officer shot the suspect.

“At this point we have no other suspects.”

West Virginia Governor Patrick Morrisey initially said the troops had died, but he later walked that statement back to say his office was “receiving conflicting reports” about their condition.

General Steven Nordhaus, chief of the National Guard Bureau, scrapped plans to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with troops at Guantanamo Bay in order to travel to Washington and be with guard members there instead.