Afghans in US issue plea to Trump after ‘tragic’ Washington DC shooting

Afghans living in the United States have condemned Wednesday’s “deeply tragic” deadly shooting in Washington DC, while stressing that the suspect – who left Afghanistan for the United States four years ago – does not represent them.

The suspected shooter, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, entered America under a program offering special immigration protections to Afghans who worked with the United States following its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, 20, was killed in Wednesday’s shooting, and a colleague, Andrew Wolfe, 24, is said to be fighting for his life.

In response, US President Donald Trump halted the processing of all immigration applications from Afghans, ordered a review of green cards issued to individuals from 19 countries and threatened a broader crackdown on migrants from what he calls “third world countries.”

The US Afghan Community Coalition expressed sympathy for the victims’ families, calling for a “thorough investigation” but urging the US government not to delay or suspend Afghan immigration applications.

“Twenty years of partnership between Afghanistan and the United States must not be forgotten,” the coalition statement said, nodding to the two-decade-long effort launched by the United States in 2001 to topple Afghanistan’s Taliban leaders and establish security in the country.

Afghans living in the United States told the BBC they were horrified by the attack on Washington DC, which they stressed was the act of one person.

They spoke anonymously for fear of reprisals from the Taliban, which regained control of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops in 2021.

One of the Afghans, who acted after the US withdrawal, called Wednesday’s incident “deeply tragic.” He noted that it was in the run-up to Thanksgiving and in a “very tense political environment in Washington, DC.”

But he stressed that the shooting constituted “an individual criminal offense, not representative of a community”.

“Afghans in the United States are hard-working, tax-paying members of society,” he added. “They remain grateful to America for the evacuation efforts during the crisis in Kabul.”

Thousands of Afghans fled the country in 2021, mostly via Kabul, as the United States withdrew its troops and the Taliban arrived.

American officials say the suspect, Mr. Lakanwal, allegedly had dealings with American forces in Afghanistan while they were stationed there. He helped keep US forces at Kabul airport during the withdrawal, a former military commander who served alongside him told the BBC.

He arrived in the United States the same year. He applied for asylum in 2024 and his request was granted earlier this year, an official told BBC partner CBS News.

Another Afghan, who also moved to the United States after the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan four years ago, called Wednesday’s shooting “truly shocking.” He said he was praying for the victims’ families.

He suspects it was an “individual crime committed without any support, participation and cooperation from others”, and said the attack “should not be blamed on the entire community”.

Another Afghan living in the United States who spoke to the BBC said the shootings had been a “very devastating event for all immigrants,” adding that the political backlash had left many people in a state of uncertainty.

“It’s really bad for everyone that the Trump administration wants to reevaluate the immigration process,” he said. “It takes time and no one knows what will happen.”

The situation has worsened due to threats in his home country. “For us Afghans, there is a problem in Afghanistan as well as here.”