Shooting of National Guard soldiers in Washington heralds ‘troubling’ resurgence of terrorism globally: FO – Pakistan

The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday strongly condemned the shooting of two soldiers of the United States’ National Guard in Washington, DC, saying that the incident “heralds a troubling resurgence of terrorism on a global scale”.

Two National Guard soldiers were critically wounded on Wednesday after being shot a few blocks from the White House, with US President Donald Trump terming the incident an “act of terror”. Trump has since announced that one of the soldiers had died.

In a press release, the FO said, “Pakistan strongly condemns the shooting incident in Washington DC, reportedly involving an Afghan national.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the departed soldier, and (we) wish the injured a swift and complete recovery,” it said. It also extended sympathies to the families affected, as well as to the government and people of the US.

The FO said the attack was “undoubtedly an act of terrorism and a heinous assault on US soil”.

“For the past two decades, Pakistan has endured countless similar terrorist incidents, with clear linkages to Afghanistan,” it said.

“This incident signifies the challenges posed by transnational terrorism and underscores the need for enhanced global cooperation to confront this menace,” it said.

“The incident heralds a troubling resurgence of terrorism on a global scale. The international community must take note and reinvigorate collective efforts in counter-terrorism,” it said.

“Pakistan remains committed to working with the US and the wider international community to address the shared challenge of terrorism,” it said.

National Guard member dies

Sarah Beckstrom, 20, died of her wounds and her fellow Guardsman Andrew Wolfe, 24, was “fighting for his life,” Trump said on Thursday, as investigators conducted what officials said was a terrorism probe.

The FBI searched multiple properties in a widening investigation, including a home in Washington state linked to the suspect, who officials said was part of a CIA-backed unit in Afghanistan before coming to the US in 2021 under a resettlement programme.

Agents seized numerous electronic devices from the residence of the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, including cellphones, laptops, and iPads, and interviewed his relatives, FBI Director Kash Patel told a news conference.

US Attorney for Washington, DC Jeanine Pirro said the suspect drove cross-country and then ambushed the Guard members while they were patrolling near the White House on Wednesday afternoon.

“I want to express the anguish and the horror of our entire nation that the terrorist attack yesterday in our nation’s capital, in which a savage monster gunned down two service members in the West Virginia National Guard, who were deployed as part of the DC Task Force,” Trump said in a Thanksgiving call with US military service members.

Casting blame on the administration of his White House predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump said the alleged gunman, who he described as having gone “cuckoo,” was among thousands of Afghans who came in unvetted as the US carried out a chaotic withdrawal in 2021. He provided no evidence to support his assertion.

Trump said the suspect’s “atrocity reminds us that we have no greater national security priority than ensuring that we have full control over the people that enter and remain in our country”.

Armed with a powerful revolver, a .357 Magnum, the gunman shot the two National Guard members before being wounded in an exchange of gunfire with other troops. He was in hospital in serious condition, Trump said.