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“Imperial Blowback”: Suspect in D.C. Shooting Was Part of CIA Death Squad in Afghanistan

StoryDecember 01, 2025
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Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man who authorities say shot two National Guardsmen outside the White House, had previously worked in a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” in Afghanistan, often called “death squads” by human rights groups. “The United States made this person into a child soldier, and now is experiencing what I think is one of the most horrifically bright-line cases of imperial blowback that we’ve seen throughout the 'war on terror,'” says Spencer Ackerman, journalist and author focused on U.S. military and foreign policy.

Please check back later for full transcript.

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