President Donald Trump announced during a Thanksgiving call with U.S. troops that one of two West Virginia National Guard members shot near the White House has died. He also said the other servicemember, Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life.”

“She’s just passed away,” Trump said. “She’s no longer with us. She’s looking down at us right now. Her parents are with her.” The remarks underscored the human cost of a rare attack on U.S. soil that drew immediate attention to the ongoing debate over national security and immigration policy.

The suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, had worked in a special CIA backed Afghan Army unit before emigrating from Afghanistan, according to two sources who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity due to sensitivity of the situation, and #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two decade war.

Trump labeled the incident a terrorist attack and used it to criticize the asylum process that allowed Afghans who served with U.S. forces to enter the United States.

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“The shooter worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan,” a fact that adds another layer of gravity to the case. Trump criticized the asylum process in which Afghans who worked with U.S. forces arrived by plane for being ineffective and failing to ensure people were properly vetted.

“We have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country,” Trump said. “For the most part, we don’t want them.”

The remarks about the shooter drew from the broader debate over how America handles airlifted allies. Trump held up a print-out of a news photo of Afghan evacuees sitting on the floor of a military plane during the chaotic evacuation from Kabul in 2021 during his remarks. He suggested that the shooter was mentally unstable after the war and departure from Afghanistan.

“He went cuckoo. I mean, he went nuts,” the president said. “It happens too often with these people.” The context, he argued, is inseparable from policy choices made by the administration in Washington.

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The suspect was charged with assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, but Pirro indicated the charges would be upgraded if one of the National Guard members died.

The Atlantic City style rhetoric of the moment reflected the political flashpoint around the security footprint in the nation’s capital. A law enforcement official said the suspect was shot during the confrontation and sustained non life threatening wounds.

The incident occurred just blocks from the White House and the Capitol, in a city that has seen an ongoing debate about the presence of troops and the appropriate use of federal power.

A resident of Khost who identified himself as Lakanwal’s cousin said Lakanwal had begun his career in Afghanistan with a unit identified as Zero Units in Kandahar, and later rose to a team leader role. The cousin spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid reprisals.

A former official from the unit who spoke confidentially said Lakanwal was a team leader and his brother a platoon leader. The cousin’s account aligns with broader reporting about his background in the Afghan Army.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe issued a statement saying that Lakanwal’s relationship with the U.S. government “ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation” of U.S. servicemembers from Afghanistan.

Lakanwal entered the United States in 2021 through Operation Allies Welcome, a Biden administration program that evacuated and resettled tens of thousands of Afghans after the U.S. withdrawal. Officials said Lakanwal’s asylum application was approved under the Trump administration, a detail cited by #AfghanEvac in a statement.

The initiative brought roughly 76,000 people to the United States, many of whom had worked alongside U.S. troops and diplomats as interpreters and translators.

It has since faced intense scrutiny from critics who allege gaps in vetting, even as advocates insist there was extensive vetting and that the program offered a lifeline to people at risk of Taliban reprisals.

Lakanwal has been living in Bellingham, Washington, about 79 miles north of Seattle, with his wife and five children, according to his former landlord.

On Wednesday night, Trump called for a reinvestigation of all Afghan refugees who had entered under the Biden administration. The director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Joseph Edlow said the agency would take additional steps “to screen people from 19 ‘high-risk’ countries ‘to the maximum degree possible.’”

Edlow did not name the countries, but the policy shift echoed a broader, ongoing fight over how refugees should be vetted as the nation weighs security against humanitarian obligations.

The shooting raises questions about the legacy of the Afghanistan War and the measures designed to protect the capital’s streets. It also places a spotlight on how political leaders respond to violence and how the security apparatus weighs the risk of people who entered through controversial programs.

In this tense climate, President Trump’s emphasis on vetting and national sovereignty resonates with supporters who believe that a hard line is necessary to safeguard the homeland.

As the nation grapples with the question of how to balance humanity and security, the events near the White House remind Americans that the cost of policy choices can touch real lives in chilling ways.

The fostered debate is unlikely to subside soon, and leaders across the spectrum will be watched closely for their next steps.

In the eyes of supporters, renewing vigor in border controls and refugee screening is essential to stop potential threats before they unfold.

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