The US has suspended all visa issuance for Afghan citizens after an Afghan national allegedly killed a National Guard soldier near the White House, prompting a federal terrorism probe.
The United States has suspended the issuing of all visas for Afghan passport holders after an Afghan national shot and killed a National Guard soldier and critically injured another near the White House earlier this week. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the abrupt halt on Friday, describing it as an immediate security step ordered in the wake of the attack.
Rubio wrote on X that President Donald Trump’s State Department had “paused visa issuance for all individuals travelling on Afghan passports”, adding that the US had “no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people”. A State Department statement reiterated that the suspension was effective immediately.
The suspect, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered the US in 2021 under President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome — a programme designed to support Afghans who had worked alongside American forces. He applied for asylum last year, and it was approved earlier this year, according to Xinhua.
Local media reports say Lakanwal passed all background checks before joining the CIA-linked partner force in Afghanistan, and again before he was evacuated to the United States. NBC News reported that he had spent a decade in the Afghan army supporting US Special Forces and had been living in Washington state.
Fox News added that he had previously worked with several US government entities, including the Central Intelligence Agency, during his time in Afghanistan.
The attack unfolded on Wednesday at around 14:15 local time near Farragut Square Metro Station in Washington, DC. According to Joint Task Force DC, which oversees National Guard deployments in the capital, Lakanwal opened fire on two Guard members on duty. One soldier died at the scene, while the second was critically injured. A third Guard member shot Lakanwal, who was then taken into custody and is now hospitalised.
The FBI is treating the shooting as a possible act of terrorism, though officials say a full assessment is still under way. Authorities are continuing to verify all biographical and security details relating to Lakanwal’s time in the US and his work alongside American forces overseas.
The suspension of Afghan visa issuance will remain in place while the investigation continues, marking the most sweeping restriction on Afghan entry to the United States since the fall of Kabul in 2021.
