Refugee groups worry about backlash after shooting of National Guard soldiers in DC
- Posted on November 27, 2025
- By AOL
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Refugee groups worry about backlash after shooting of National Guard soldiers in DC
People who work with refugees are worried that those who fled dangerous situations to start again in America will face backlash after authorities say an Afghan national shot two National Guard soldiers this week. Many Afghans living in the U.S. are afraid to leave their houses, fearing they’ll be swept up by immigration officials or attacked with hate speech, said Shawn VanDiver, president of the San Diego-based group #AfghanEvac, a group that helps resettle Afghans who assisted the U.S. during the two-decade war. Officials say Rahmanullah Lakanwal, 29, drove from his home in Bellingham, Washington, to the nation's capital where he shot two West Virginia National Guard members deployed in Washington, D.C. On Thursday, Specialist Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Staff Sgt. Andrew Wolfe, 24, remained hospitalized in critical condition.