The Afghan man accused of shooting two members of the US military in downtown Washington DC once worked alongside the CIA in Afghanistan, officials have said.

Rahmanullah Lakanwal drove thousands of miles from the west coast to launch an “ambush-style” attack on two West Virginia members of the National Guard on Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

He shot Sarah Beckstrom, 20, and Andrew Wolfe, 24, at close range just a few blocks from the White House, officials said, and they both remain in a critical condition in hospital.

Mr Lakanwal came to the US in 2021 under a programme that offered special immigration protections to Afghans in the wake of America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He helped guard US forces at Kabul airport as thousands scrambled to escape Afghanistan before the Taliban took power, a former military commander who served alongside him told the BBC.

The father of five had been recruited to Unit 03 of the Kandahar Strike Force, nine years earlier.

His unit was known locally as Scorpion Forces, operating initially under the CIA but eventually for the Afghan intelligence department known as the National Directorate of Security.

Mr Lakanwal was a GPS tracker specialist, the former commander told the BBC, describing him as a “sporty and jolly character”.

His whole unit was moved from Kandahar to Kabul five days before the Taliban entered the capital. They continued to protect the airport for another six days, before they too were airlifted out to the US.

At a press conference on Thursday, FBI Director Kash Patel confirmed Mr Lakanwal’s connection to US forces, saying the suspect “had a relationship in Afghanistan with partner forces”, before moving to the US.