D.C. National Guard shooting suspect identified as Afghan national who had worked with CIA.

The CIA said Thursday that Lakanwal previously worked with the U.S. government, including the CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar that ended in 2021 following the withdrawal from Afghanistan.

CBS News has also learned that the suspect led a team in the former Afghan national armed forces that worked directly with U.S. and British forces.

According to a former Afghan commando who spoke with CBS News on Thursday, Lakanwal led a unit of Afghan special forces in the south of the country and worked closely with the international troops.

The former commando told CBS News that Lakanawal was left deeply troubled by the death of a close friend and fellow Afghan commander in 2024, whom he said had unsuccessfully sought asylum in the U.S.