Taliban deny Washington’s claim, blame foreign media.
In an interview with an Indian media outlet, Sohail Shaheen of Tolo News Agency said that “foreign intelligence networks” may have played a role in the recent incident in Washington and are trying to portray Afghan citizens as a security threat.
These statements were made while regional media outlets have published reports in recent days that an individual or individuals with Afghan citizenship have been identified in a “security incident” in Washington. Although official details of the incident have not been released by American officials, some unofficial reports on social media and Pakistani media have attempted to attribute it to the Afghan Taliban and refer to it as a sign of a “security threat from Afghan soil.”
He also claimed that “Pakistan’s intelligence agency (ISI) is trying to attribute the recent incident in Washington to the Islamic Emirate and defame the Afghan government.”
This claim has been made in a situation where relations between Afghanistan and Pakistan have been tense in recent months due to border tensions, the issue of Afghan refugees, and security cases between the two countries, and Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of “ignoring the activities of some opposition groups in Pakistan.” Kabul has denied these accusations and said that no group is allowed to use Afghan soil against other countries.
Shaheen, stating that Kabul’s position is completely clear, noted that “no group will be allowed to use Afghan soil to carry out attacks abroad.”
Emphasizing the Taliban’s adherence to the principles of non-interference, he added: “Those responsible for the attack must be identified through a professional and impartial investigation process.”
The Afghan diplomat stated that initial evidence indicates that the attacker is connected to the “Special Forces Brigade 01 of the former Afghan government,” but the final information must be determined by the investigators of the case, and all possibilities will be examined until the investigation is complete.
According to IRNA, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services announced that the US government has suspended the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan citizens until further notice after Rahmanullah Lucknow, a 29-year-old Afghan citizen, opened fire on two members of the US National Guard who were on patrol near the Farragut metro station in Washington at around 2:15 p.m. on Wednesday, December 25 (Washington time).
Lucknow was subdued and arrested by other US National Guard troops who were present at the scene after injuring the two men.
Following the incident, the US Department of Homeland Security announced that processing of immigration cases for Afghan citizens would be suspended “indefinitely,” an issue that has caused widespread concern among thousands of Afghans waiting to process their immigration applications.
The US intelligence agency, known as the CIA, also announced that the suspect had previously cooperated with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Afghanistan and was transferred to the United States after the fall of Kabul in 2021.
The father of five applied for asylum last year and was granted it earlier this year.
In response, US President Donald Trump described the move as a “criminal and despicable act” and said all Afghans who entered the US during the previous administration should be re-screened.
The Pentagon also announced that 500 additional National Guard troops would be sent to Washington, D.C., on the orders of the US president, to bolster security measures. There are currently about 2,200 National Guard troops stationed in the US capital.