A minister of the Afghan Taliban asserts that the US shooting is unrelated to his populace or administration.

Amir Khan Muttaqi, the Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister, stated on Wednesday that the killing of National Guard personnel in Washington, D.C., for which an Afghan immigrant has been charged, is unrelated to the Afghan populace or its government.

Muttaqi’s remarks represent the inaugural response from the Afghan Taliban administration to the incident, occurring one week after the events in Washington, when suspect Rahmanullah Lakanwal is alleged to have killed one individual and badly injured another.

On Tuesday, Lakanwal was charged with murder and additional felonies at his initial court appearance, which took place remotely from a hospital bed.

Muttaqi stated, “This incident is unrelated to the esteemed citizens of Afghanistan or the Afghan government.”

“This constitutes a solitary criminal act, perpetrated by an individual trained by Americans.”

U.S. officials have stated that Lakanwal was affiliated with a CIA-supported force in Afghanistan. He arrived in the United States in 2021 via then-President Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome initiative, designed for individuals at risk of retaliation from Taliban forces following their takeover of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US military personnel.

“The Americans trained him, assigned him, and, through an unlawful procedure that contravened international standards, transported him from Afghanistan to the United States,” stated Muttaqi.