A 29-year-old Afghan man, brought to the United States during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from his homeland, has been charged with first-degree murder after a shooting in Washington DC that left a National Guard member dead and another critically wounded.
A Failed Second Chance in America
Rahmanullah Lakanwal arrived in the US in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, a programme for Afghans who assisted American forces. He was evacuated with his wife, Khamila, and their five children, aged between two and 14, following the Taliban takeover.
The family was resettled in Bellingham, a liberal town in the Pacific Northwest, and placed in a taxpayer-funded apartment costing $1,140 per month. Despite this support, Lakanwal struggled profoundly to adapt. He failed to learn English, remained unemployed for months, and became increasingly isolated, according to sources and documents seen by the Associated Press.
An email from January 2024 revealed community activists' grave concerns, stating he had "not been functional as a person, father and provider since March of last year." The email detailed that he quit his job, his behaviour changed drastically, and he would not speak to his wife for long periods. When she visited relatives, their children's school raised alarms because the youngsters were not being fed or bathed properly.
Life as a 'Ghost' in a New Community
Neighbours at the Walton Place apartment complex and members of the local Islamic Society described Lakanwal as a virtual ghost. He rarely left home, spent hours playing computer games, and had almost no interaction with others.
At the Bellingham mosque, he attended services sporadically but could communicate only basic Arabic greetings, unable to converse in Pashto or Dari with other congregants. A source from the Islamic Society of Whatcom County said, "The main thing that stood out about him was that he is young but always arrived with five kids... We didn't know much about him."
Lakanwal had worked briefly as a freelance Amazon Flex driver but had been without employment since August. His living costs were covered by Whatcom County taxpayers. A former colleague from his time in a CIA-backed Afghan unit told Rolling Stone that Lakanwal felt abandoned by the US government, saying he was depressed that his calls for help went unanswered.
The Shooting and its Political Fallout
The incident occurred last Wednesday. Lakanwal allegedly shot two members of the West Virginia National Guard in an ambush-style attack. Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died from her injuries on Thanksgiving Day. Her colleague, Andrew Woolfe, 24, remains in critical condition. Lakanwal was also injured and is recovering in a DC hospital.
Following the shooting, the FBI raided the family's Bellingham apartment in the early hours of Thanksgiving morning. The property was later found deserted.
The tragedy has ignited a fierce political debate on immigration policy. Former President Donald Trump has vowed to deport Lakanwal's family and to "permanently pause migration" from numerous countries. The US has also halted all immigration from Afghanistan, including refugee status decisions.
Despite the shooting, Bellingham's strongly liberal character was on display days later at a local farmer's market, with signs calling to abolish ICE and grant citizenship to undocumented migrants.
