Afghan National Charged in Fatal Shooting of Two National Guard Soldiers

John Miller, a prominent intelligence analyst and law enforcement official, shared that the Afghan national accused of killing two National Guard soldiers in Washington has undergone several rounds of federal vetting before being granted asylum in the U.S. earlier this year.

Rahmanullah Rakanwal, identified as the shooter of the two West Virginia National Guard members near the White House, is said to have entered the U.S. on humanitarian parole after escaping the Taliban’s control in Afghanistan. During an appearance on Anderson 360, Miller detailed that Rakanwal arrived in 2021 and was subjected to various vetting processes.

“He came from Afghanistan. Now, this guy is living in Washington state, way across the country. He arrived here in the summer of 2021,” Miller explained. “Consider the context: Refugees were leaving Afghanistan in droves. Some had to be nominated by Americans, and others had to undergo intense government background checks while still in Afghanistan, along with finding sponsors, among other requirements.”

Miller mentioned that Rakanwal eventually settled in Washington state and applied for asylum in December 2024, initiating yet another formal vetting process.

“He’s living in Washington. He applied for asylum last December and is currently navigating the separate vetting process related to that application. He was granted asylum in April this year under the Trump administration,” Miller noted. “These vetting procedures continued under the Biden administration. I recall being involved in the Joint Terrorism Task Force in New York, assisting with that vetting. It was a lot of pressure with numerous individuals under scrutiny.”

Miller also suggested that individuals like Rakanwal may have qualified for entry via the Allied Welcome Program, having collaborated with U.S. military efforts in Afghanistan.

“A substantial portion of that vetting occurred at a rapid pace. There were instances where, after our initial checks, we had to revisit some cases when more information became available,” he remarked. “For this individual, that’s all we currently know, but he likely had some connection to U.S. operations to have been admitted under the Allied Welcome Program.”

The 2021 evacuation from Afghanistan was marked by considerable urgency, resulting in around 80,000 individuals being relocated, according to federal data and investigations. Reports from a congressional hearing on Operation Allied Welcome in October 2021 indicated that displaced individuals were temporarily housed at military bases before being moved to communities throughout the nation as their immigration processes were completed.

The humanitarian parole avenue aimed to expedite immigration given the crisis urgency, contrasting with the usual slower refugee processes. Officials have stated that they have revisited specific cases as new information has emerged, aligning with Miller’s account of working under intense pressure and the need for re-evaluating individuals.

In a separate development, President Donald Trump ordered a federal intervention in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department on August 11, following a serious incident where a government employee, known as “Big Balls,” was injured while trying to prevent a carjacking by a mob. Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth announced on Wednesday that Trump had ordered an additional 500 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., in response to the recent shootings.