Taliban Denies Responsibility for National Guard Shooting by Former CIA-Backed Afghan Fighter

Rahmanullah Lakanwal, who previously served in a CIA-supported force against the Taliban, was involved in the shooting incident targeting National Guard members.

Afghanistan:

On Wednesday, Taliban officials distanced themselves from the Washington shooting incident involving an Afghan suspect that left one National Guard member dead and another injured last month.

Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi stated in an official video release, "The person who committed this act was trained by the Americans themselves," marking the Taliban government's first formal response to the incident.

"So this incident does not concern the Afghan government or people," Muttaqi emphasized.

The accused gunman, 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, entered a not guilty plea on Tuesday for the November 26 shootings.

According to information from U.S. officials, Lakanwal had previously served in a CIA-backed "partner force" that fought against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

He relocated to the United States through a resettlement program following America's military withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

Muttaqi further commented, "They trained this man, employed him, and he left Afghanistan through an illegal process that did not match international norms."