Taliban Blames US for Training Afghan Suspect in DC Shooting

The Taliban government on Wednesday explicitly stated that the recent shooting of two National Guard members in Washington has no connection to Afghanistan. Instead, the Taliban laid the blame on the United States, asserting that the suspect was an asset trained by American forces.

Dependable NG reports that Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi made the statement in a video released by his office, claiming that “the person who committed this act was trained by the Americans themselves.” This marked the first official Taliban reaction to the incident.

Muttaqi distanced the government from the act: “So this incident does not concern the Afghan government or people.”

The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to the November 26 shootings. U.S. officials previously confirmed that Lakanwal had been part of a CIA-backed partner force that was actively fighting the Taliban before he was brought to the United States through a resettlement program following the 2021 American military withdrawal.

The Foreign Minister emphasized the U.S. connection to the suspect’s background: “They trained this man, employed him, and he left Afghanistan through an illegal process that did not match international norms.”