Monitoring Desk:
The attack on US National Guard soldiers near the White House by an Afghan national is being investigated as an act of terrorism. Available information gathered by multiple security agencies suggests that the accused, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan who entered the United States in 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, had previously worked with the CIA in Afghanistan.
Security agencies indicate that he could be a “hired gun,” as it is a known pattern in Afghan militant culture that individuals can be hired to target anyone in exchange for mutually agreed payments.
The incident, which occurred on Wednesday afternoon just a few blocks from the White House, has alarmed US intelligence agencies. They are now considering the possibility that Lakanwal may have been hired by “someone” for this well-planned attack—and that this “someone” could be the Afghan Taliban regime, which is currently attempting to pressure the United States into reopening financial channels that were recently halted.
It is a well-documented fact that the Afghan Taliban have historically used terrorism as a form of “diplomatic leverage,” attempting to coerce states that refuse to meet their demands. Pakistan is a textbook example of this strategy: Afghan Taliban-linked sleeper cells have repeatedly carried out suicide attacks and other terrorist operations whenever Pakistan rejected key demands, such as opening borders for trade, halting the repatriation of Afghan refugees, or recognizing the Taliban’s interim government.
It now appears that the United States may be facing a similar pattern of coercion after President Trump suspended the funds that the Taliban regime had been receiving during former President Biden’s tenure. Two additional reasons for potential Taliban retaliation are President Trump’s demand to regain control of the Bagram Air Base and the US request to recover nearly seven billion dollars’ worth of NATO-grade military equipment left behind by US and NATO forces.
Islamabad Bureau adds
Interestingly the social media accounts of Rahmanullah Lakanwal, CIA-backed Kandahar Strike Force veteran since long posting TTP and TTA pro messages but US agencies did not take action against him although he was TTP overt supporter.
