LOS ANGELES (OC).–Struck by a glaring act of Islamic terrorism, U.S. officials were dumbfounded to explain the cold blooded attack November 26 on two National Guard troops from Virginia only blocks from the White House. While government officials say there’s no motive yet for the brazen attack by 29-year-old Afghan national Rahmanullah Lakawal, government officials know it’s terrorism. Living in Bellingham, Washington since 2021, where he entered the country under former President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, joining some 76,000 Afghans cleared to immigrate to the U.S.—a real Trojan Horse. Traveling across country armed with a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum to ambush U.S. troops close to the White House gives away Lakawal’s motive: Pure terrorism. No question that Lakawal’s motive was to stage a grandiose terrorist attack in Washington, D.C.
No mincing words about this attack knowing the risks of some 76,000 Afghans that capitalized on Biden’s invitation to engage in Islamic terrorism in the United States. “We are praying that they [National Guard] they survive and that the highest charge will not have to be murder in the first degree. But make no mistake, if they die not, that will certainly be the charge,” said U.S. Atty. former Fox News host Jean Pirro. Pirro’s going to have to upgrade the charges to terrorism on U.S. soil, not just premeditated murder. FBI Director Kash Patel said the incident was, in fact, being investigated as an act of terrorism. Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser said the attack on the Virginia National Guard was an attack on America itself. “Somebody drove across the country and came to Washington, D.C. to attack America,” Bowser said. “That person will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.”
Bowser said the shooter traveled across country, attesting to his determination to commit a terrorist act only blocks from the White House. Lakamal served notice to the Trump administration that it is not immune to Islamic terrorism, something now infiltrated into U.S. society, thanks to Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome program. Former CIA Director John Ratcliffe said Lakamal was a “member of a partner force in Kandahar,” the home base of the Islamic Taliban group. Ratcliffe did not say what Lakamal did for the CIA but it ended with the Aug. 26, 2021 chaotic exit from Kabul where a terrorist attack killed 13 U.S. soldiers during its evacuation. What Lakamal’s ties to the Taliban were unknown, perhaps serving as a double-agent. No matter how much vetting done before immigration, there’s no way the government can guarantee anything.
President Donald Trump got closer to admitting that Rahmanullah Lakawal was, in fact, an Islamic terrorist. “If they can’t lover our country, we don’t want them, Trump said. Trump called the shooting “a crime against our entire nation,” playing down the terrorism angle for now because Lakamal was approved by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to final immigration approval. When the Afghan Taliban seized control Aug. 15, 2021 of the U.S. backed government in Kabul, the U.S. had no choice but to get out. Only 11 days later, the Taliban lost the worst suicide bombing terrorist attack in years, killing 13 U.S. soldiers during the chaotic withdrawal. Letting Taliban sympathizers to seek refuge in the U.S. was a big mistake by the Biden administration. No government official can assure proper vetting of asylum seekers.
National Guard members Sarah Beckstrom and Andrew Wolfe fight for their lives in Washington hospitals. Shot by Lakamal at point blank range with a 357 Magnum revolver, both cling to life. Beckstrom remains in critical condition with potentially life-threatening injuries.. Whether they die or not, there’s no minimizing the fact that they were victims of a terrorist attack in the nation’s capital. However many troops Trump places in D.C., it’s not going to stop future terrorist attacks with the country infiltrated from reckless immigration policies. Anyone working with the CIA in Afghanistan had close ties to the Taliban or they wouldn’t survive. So, trying to vet refugees from terrorist states isn’t realistic because they all lived under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. When the dust settles, Lakamal will be shown as an active part of an Afghan Taliban terror cell.
Jeffery Carroll, executive assistant to the D.C. police chief, said that investigators had no information about motive. But with Lakamal traveling to D.C. to shoot the two Virginia National Guard soldiers, It’s clear that he wanted to make a dramatic statement. Some speculation from soldiers that knew him in Afghanistan suggest that he was mentally unbalanced. Well, traveling cross country with a singular mission in mind certainly doesn’t indicate he was disabled by any mental illness. “It appears to be a lone gunman that raised a firearm and ambushed members of the National Guard,” Carroll said, not clear who shot Lakamal and disarmed him When it comes to terrorism, it’s clear that U.S. authorities have their guard down. Harassing undocumented Latinos doesn’t deal with the country’s ongoing terrorist problems. Trump must pivot now after the latest attack.
About the Author
John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.
