An ID badge circulating widely online displays the suspect in the shooting of the National Guard members, indicating he was part of the “Kandahar Strike Force” or “03” unit, which is classified among the so-called “Zero Units” that collaborated closely with U.S. and foreign forces during the war in Afghanistan. A former senior Afghan military source confirmed to CBS News that the ID badge is genuine.
A U.S. official briefed on the shooting investigation and a former senior member of the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces informed CBS News that the suspect, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, had affiliations with a “Zero Unit,” which was an Afghan intelligence and paramilitary group that worked alongside the CIA. These units comprised exclusively of Afghan nationals and operated under the aegis of the National Directorate of Security, or NDS, the intelligence agency that was established with CIA support for Afghanistan’s previous, U.S.-allied government. They were regarded as some of the most trusted domestic forces by the U.S. and its international partners in Afghanistan.
The U.S. official informed about the investigation confirmed that the suspect had been troubled by the casualties within this unit and was recently deeply affected by the death of a close friend abroad.
The ID badge also includes the words “Firebase Gecko,” the designation of a CIA and special forces base located in Kandahar, within what was once the compound of the Taliban’s founding leader, Mullah Mohammad Omar.
On Thursday, CIA Director John Ratcliffe stated that the suspect had previously worked “with the U.S. Government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.”
Lt. Gen. Sami Sadat, a former commanding general of the Afghan National Special Operations Corps, informed CBS News that Lakanwal served in the “03” unit for eight years. A former senior Afghan general from the U.S.-supported government told CBS News on Thursday that the “03 unit, also known as The Kandahar Strike Force (KSF), operated under the special forces directorate of NDS. They were the most active and professional forces, trained and equipped by the CIA. All operations were conducted under CIA command.” Sadat added that Lakanwal was part of the unit’s operations team.
“He was known for being responsible and professional within his team and held strong anti-Taliban views,” Sadat remarked.
“While we could not find any connection between him and any terrorist organization, we also cannot completely dismiss it,” Sadat commented. “However, we can affirm that his background shows no links to terrorists.”
Lakanwal’s family faced severe threats from the Taliban, prompting him to relocate them from their native Khost province to Kabul, according to Sadat. In the U.S., Sadat noted that Lakanwal was “generally calm and maintained a clean record, although he suffered from PTSD.”
As a member of a Zero Unit, the suspect would have had a near-certain path to asylum in the U.S. because members of these elite units were prioritized for Taliban retaliation after the group’s resurgence in control over the country. Many members were instrumental during the August 2021 evacuation from Kabul, securing a guarantee of passage on a flight for themselves and their families out of Afghanistan.
No immediate response was forthcoming from Afghanistan’s current Taliban government, and officials in Kabul did not reply to CBS News’ inquiries regarding the arrest in Washington.
