The brother of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the 29-year-old Afghani charged with the ambush murder of National Guard Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, served as a platoon leader in the same elite CIA-backed “Zero Unit” as his murderous sibling.
Lakanwal, who entered the United States in 2021 under Biden’s rushed Operation Allies Welcome program after claiming to aid U.S. forces against the Taliban, began his career in the Zero Unit in 2012 as a security guard.
He advanced to roles as a team leader and GPS specialist, operating in the volatile southern province of Kandahar.
His brother, who has not been publicly identified, reportedly held a higher position as a platoon leader in the unit and now resides in America, thanks to Biden.
The Biden administration allowed over 100,000 Afghans into the U.S. amid the 2021 withdrawal chaos. Lakanwal arrived with his wife and five children, and President Trump has not ruled out deporting the family, stating his team is “looking at that right now.”
A Kandahar resident identifying as Lakanwal’s cousin told the Associated Press that both brothers served in Kandahar with the CIA-backed force.
A former Zero Unit official, speaking anonymously, corroborated the brother’s leadership role.
The Zero Units were elite Afghan commando teams funded and trained by the CIA, known for high-risk operations against the Taliban but also criticized for alleged human rights abuses during the war.
The Associated Press reports:
The cousin spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. He said Lakanwal had started out working as a security guard for the unit in 2012 and was later promoted to become a team leader and a GPS specialist.
Zero Units were paramilitary units manned by Afghans but backed by the CIA that also served in front-line fighting with CIA paramilitary officers. Activists had attributed abuses to the units. They played a key role in the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from the country, providing security around Kabul International Airport as the Americans and withdrew from the country.
The shooting occurred on Wednesday, when Lakanwal allegedly opened fire on two unarmed West Virginia National Guard members patrolling in downtown D.C. as part of “Operation DC Safe and Beautiful.”
Beckstrom, 20, was shot in the head and chest and died on Thanksgiving Day after emergency surgery.
Her colleague, 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe was also wounded and remains in critical condition, fighting for his life.
Lakanwal was shot by a responding guardsman and arrested. Charges have been upgraded to first-degree murder, with Attorney General Pam Bondi confirming prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty.
Trump blasted the incident as a “terrorist attack” triggered by Biden’s failures, vowing to reverse migration to deport threats and protect Americans.
Swift actions are already underway to fix Biden’s mess. This includes halting all asylum decisions for 2.2 million pending cases, pausing migration from “third world” countries like Afghanistan, and reviewing green cards from 19 high-risk nations.
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