After the U.S. military’s 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s subsequent takeover, Rahmanullah Lakanwal was among more than 76,000 Afghans allowed to resettle in the U.S. for humanitarian reasons.

The 29-year-old Bellingham resident is now accused of driving cross-country to Washington, D.C., where he allegedly shot two National Guard members on Wednesday, killing one.

Federal investigators have not said what they believe motivated Lakanwal to travel to the nation’s capitol, where he is being treated for wounds. In Bellingham on Friday, few were willing to speak openly about the shooting or its potential ties to their city.

But the shooting has drawn attention to Lakanwal’s journey from Afghanistan to Washington state and Operation Allies Welcome, the program that helped

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