Afghan national Rashmanuallah Lakanwal has been arrested in connection with the daylight shooting incident in Washington, D.C., just blocks away from the White House. In response to the shooting, the Trump administration announced a halt on asylum decisions and visa issuance for Afghan nationals.
Lakanwal, who previously served with the U.S. military and the CIA in Afghanistan, has been charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and the wounding of Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, both West Virginia National Guardsmen deployed to the city as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-crime initiative.
An image circulating online has revealed that the suspect may have been a part of the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03 Unit,” one of several “Zero Units” that operated alongside U.S. and other foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan.
What is the Zero Unit?
Lakanwal was among thousands of Afghan solders who served alongside U.S. forces during the nearly two-decade war against the Taliban. His “03 Unit,” as identified on his badge, operated in and around Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar Province. Images of the badge circulating on social media after the attack also featured the words “Firebase Gecko,” the former CIA and U.S. Special Forces base in the region, which once served as the compound of Taliban founder and Afghanistan’s first supreme leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
Why Are These Units So Special?
These units were an integral part of Afghan intelligence and paramilitary operations, supporting U.S. troops throughout the long campaign against the Taliban. They were trained by American Special Operations personnel and conducted high-risk missions, including dangerous night raids.
However, these units have also been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings, indiscriminate strikes, and multiple other violations of international humanitarian law during the 2010s. Human Rights Watch has often described them as “death squads.”
Eight Years on the Frontline
Lt. Gen. Sami Sadat, former commanding general of the Afghan National Special Operations Corps, said that Lakanwal served in the “03 Unit” for eight years. As a member of a Zero Unit, Lakanwal would have been virtually guaranteed asylum in the U.S., as members of these elite forces were prime targets for Taliban retaliation after the group regained control.
How He Entered the United States
According to media reports, it is being suggested that Lakanwal entered the U.S. through a federal program established under former President Joe Biden. The initiative was designed to assist Afghans fleeing Taliban reprisals after Kabul’s fall in August 2021. Reports further indicate that the program had significant flaws, potentially allowing individuals to enter the country with minimal oversight.
Under Operation Allies Welcome, later renamed Enduring Welcome, nearly 200,000 Afghans were admitted to the United States, with about 40% granted Special Immigrant Visas.
