The individual alleged to have shot two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C., could have been blackmailed into committing the act by the Taliban.
Federal intelligence agencies are looking into information that a Taliban “hit squad” may have threatened to murder Rahmanullah Lakanwal’s family if he did not carry out the assault, which left one victim dead and the other critically injured, according to The Daily Beast.
But investigators are asking themselves why a man who was vetted by two administrations, and with no criminal record and no history of extremism, should drive across the country on an apparent suicide mission to shoot at heavily armed U.S. military personnel with a revolver.
One line of inquiry they are seriously pursuing, according to sources with knowledge of the investigation, is that Lakanwal was made an offer he could not refuse. Either he accepted the mission, or his family in Afghanistan would be beaten, murdered, and possibly beheaded.
Lakanwal was a member of the Afghan Scorpion Forces working closely with the CIA as a GPS tracking specialist. He helped the U.S. military escape from Kabul in the shambolic retreat from Afghanistan in August 2021. Between August 14 and 30, more than 123,000 people were airlifted from Kabul Airport. The Afghan fighter joined one of the last flights because he served the United States and due to the danger he would be in if he were left behind.
About 700 Scorpion Forces members are understood to be detained in Afghanistan because they worked with America and its allies.
In the five years since the U.S. evacuation, a Taliban military unit—called Yarmouk 60—has devoted itself to tracking down, and, in some instances, killing Afghans who worked with the West.
Earlier this year, a member of the “Afghan Triples,” an elite special forces unit that was set up, trained, and funded by the U.K. to combat the Taliban, managed to leave the country and get to Germany, hoping his family could follow on later. In retaliation, Yarmouk 60 killed his wife and father and four of his children, including two little girls who were beheaded, the source told The Swamp.
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Lakanwal was NOT a member of the Afghan National Army. He was a member of the intel agency (NDS) which was mentored by the CIA & British intel with help from several Scandinavian intel agencies. His unit was accused of human rights violations, torture and extrajudicial killings. pic.twitter.com/wf0A3ExCg0
— Mustafa מוסטפא 🇺🇸 مصطفی Μασταφα (@CombatJourno) November 27, 2025
The source told the outlet that this lead is not their “only line of inquiry” but explained that most Afghan refugees still “have families back home, and if the Taliban cannot get to them, they are making it very clear that they will go after their families.”
If this is the case, it raises even more concerns about the Afghans who came to the U.S. after working with the military to defeat terrorist elements in Afghanistan. Since the Biden administration completely botched the military withdrawal from the region, allowing the Taliban to regain power, this could be a real threat if these individuals can be threatened in this manner.
Recent reports revealed that over 5,000 Afghans who were allowed into the country under the Biden administration had been flagged as national security risks.
But if the lead turns out to be true, then it means that even Afghan immigrants who are found to have no connection to terrorist activity could still be activated through threats. This could pose a significant threat to national security, as it would be difficult for authorities to prevent future attacks.
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