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Title: November 28, 2025 SPECIAL

GRAY ZONE BRIEF 28 NOVEMBER 2025
 
AFGHAN NATIONAL’S TERROR ATTACK IN. D.C.
 
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, a 29-year-old Afghan national has been identified as the gunman accused of shooting two National Guard members just blocks from the White House on the day before Thanksgiving, law enforcement sources are saying.
 
Lakanwal was taken into custody Wednesday, while authorities said both Guard members were in critical condition. Officials said the shooting is being investigated as a possible act of international terrorism.
 
Lakanwal entered the U.S. legally in 2021 under humanitarian parole as part of the Biden administration's Operation Allies Welcome, following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Taliban takeover of the country.
 
The operation aimed to support and resettle vulnerable Afghans, including those that had helped U.S. troops in the past.
 
The suspect reportedly had his asylum application approved during the Trump administration.
 
Intelligence sources are saying that Lakanwal had a prior relationship with various entities in the U.S. government, including the CIA, due to his work as a member of a partner force in Kandahar.
 
“In the wake of the disastrous Biden withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration justified bringing the alleged shooter to the United States in September 2021 due to his prior work with the U.S. government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar, which ended shortly following the chaotic evacuation," CIA Director John Ratcliffe told reporters.
 
Lakanwal had been living in Bellingham, Washington with his wife and five children, federal authorities said Thursday.
 
He drove his vehicle roughly 2,500 miles across the country to Washington, D.C., before Wednesday's shooting, officials said.
 
How the shooting unfolded
 
Jeffery Carroll, an executive assistant D.C. police chief, said investigators reviewed video that shows the attacker "came around the corner" and immediately started firing at the Guardsmen. Other Guardsmen ran over and tackled the shooter, and he was taken into custody. Investigators believe he was the only gunman.
 
U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro said a responding Guardsman shot and wounded the suspect. He was hospitalized and placed under "heavy guard," she said.
 
No motive has been established in the shooting as of Thursday morning.
 
The alleged gunman was "severely wounded" before being taken into custody, President Donald Trump posted to his Truth Social account Wednesday afternoon.
 
Trump later said the "heinous assault" was an "act of evil and an act of hatred and an act of terror. It was a crime against our entire nation. It was a crime against humanity."
 
RUSSIAN INFLUENCE IN KYRGYZSTAN
 
Regional talks. Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Kyrgyzstan for a three-day visit. He met on Wednesday with President Sadyr Japarov to discuss bilateral relations, ahead of a summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Bishkek on Thursday. Earlier this week, Kyrgyz Deputy Prime Minister Edil Baisalov stressed Russia’s role in Kyrgyz society, saying his country was part of the “Russian world” and the “Russian media sphere.”
 
SYRIA
 
Alawite protests. Members of Syria’s minority Alawite sect held mass anti-government protests in the cities of Latakia, Tartus, Homs and Jableh. The demonstrations come days after members of a Bedouin tribe attacked Alawite residents in Homs in response to the murder of a Bedouin couple. According to local media, the Alawite protesters are demanding decentralization of the government and the release of detainees. Syria’s Interior Ministry warned residents against actions aimed at “inciting hatred,” adding that security forces have been deployed to the region to ensure public safety.
 
FRANCE & GEORGIA
 
French support. A French delegation led by representatives of the Directorate General of Armaments and major French defense companies visited Georgia in early November to explore arms sales opportunities, according to the Paris-based Intelligence Online outline France has been promoting closer military-industrial cooperation with Georgia in recent months, even as other European countries distance themselves from Tbilisi over its rapprochement with Moscow.
 
GAZA PEACE PLAN PROGRESS
 
Gaza developments. Officials from Turkey, Egypt and Qatar held talks in Cairo about the situation in Gaza. The three countries, which have all been mediators in the conflict there, discussed the second phase of the peace plan and efforts, in cooperation with the United States, to support this transition. They also agreed to strengthen cooperation with the Civil-Military Coordination Center, a U.S.-led group tasked with monitoring progress on the plan.
 
U.S. & SYRIA
 
U.S.-Syria ties. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met with a U.S. delegation led by Rep. Darin LaHood in Damascus. According to the Syrian government, they discussed strengthening bilateral ties and exchanged views on several international issues of mutual interest.
 
IRAN & PAKISTAN
 
Iran and Pakistan. The secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, met on Wednesday with Pakistani President Ali Zardari, as well as Pakistan’s foreign minister and parliament speaker. They discussed recent regional developments and the need for coordination among Islamic countries to address common challenges.
 
ARMENIA & INDIA
 
Derailed deal. Armenia has suspended negotiations to purchase Indian Tejas fighter jets after an Indian plane crashed at an air show in Dubai last week. The deal, worth $1.2 billion, would have been the first export sale of the Tejas.
 
U.S. MIDDLE EAST DELEGATION
 
Middle East tour. The U.S. deputy secretary of state for management and resources, Michael Rigas, will travel to Turkey, Iraq and Israel later this week. In Turkey, he will meet with officials to promote bilateral relations. In Iraq, he will help open a new consulate general in the capital of the Kurdistan Region, Irbil. Relatedly, former Kurdistan President Masoud Barzani received the U.S. charge d’affaires in Iraq, Joshua Harris, to discuss the results of the parliamentary elections held earlier this month, as well as other regional developments.
 
Pray.
 
Train.
 
Stay informed.
 
Build resilient communities.
 
— END REPORT