Abbey Gate Gold Star father blisters Biden after Afghan national allegedly ambushes 2 National Guardsmen in DC
In a poignant and forceful statement, Darin Hoover, father of Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover—one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021—has publicly condemned the Biden administration following a recent shooting incident involving an Afghan national. The shooting occurred just blocks from the White House, where 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal allegedly ambushed two National Guardsmen. Hoover attributes this alarming incident to what he describes as the administration’s failure to properly vet Afghan evacuees during the frantic evacuation process after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. “This is on the feckless Biden administration,” Hoover stated, emphasizing that the lack of thorough vetting allowed potentially dangerous individuals into the United States. He expressed deep concern that many of those evacuated were “men of fighting age that are most likely terrorists” and criticized the truncated timeline for the evacuation, suggesting that a more organized approach could have prevented such tragedies.
The FBI is currently investigating the shooting, treating it as a potential act of international terrorism. Lakanwal, who entered the U.S. in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, had previously worked with various U.S. government entities, including the CIA, in Afghanistan. This revelation has drawn sharp criticism from former CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who stated that individuals like Lakanwal should never have been allowed into the country. Hoover’s comments reflect the ongoing fears of Gold Star families who have long questioned the vetting process for Afghan evacuees. His frustrations are compounded by the Biden administration’s perceived lack of accountability, particularly regarding the Abbey Gate attack that claimed the lives of his son and 12 other service members. Hoover has been vocal about his discontent, previously expressing “rage” at President Biden’s denial of U.S. military casualties during his presidency and highlighting the impersonal nature of the condolence letters sent to the families of the fallen.
As the investigation into the shooting continues, Hoover remains committed to advocating for answers and accountability for the families affected by the Abbey Gate tragedy. He has vowed to keep speaking out until the former administration acknowledges its failures and takes responsibility for the ongoing consequences of the Afghan withdrawal. “This isn’t going away,” Hoover asserted, signaling his determination to ensure that the sacrifices of the fallen are not forgotten and that the issues surrounding the evacuation are addressed. The shooting incident serves as a stark reminder of the complex and often painful legacy of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, highlighting the potential ramifications of hasty decisions made during a critical time.
EXCLUSIVE
— The father of Staff Sgt. Darin “Taylor” Hoover — one of the 13 U.S. service members killed in the Abbey Gate bombing during the chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan — is blasting the former
Biden administration
after an
Afghan national
allegedly shot two National Guardsmen just blocks from the White House.
Hoover gave Fox News Digital a new, forceful statement on Wednesday’s shooting, saying the incident was the direct result of the administration’s failed vetting of Afghan evacuees.
“This is on the feckless Biden administration,” Hoover said of the shooting. “We had no idea who was getting into this country because the Biden administration, especially the State Department run by Antony Blinken, didn’t do the work that was needed to vet all these people. There were so many people put on the planes that got out initially, that we have no idea who they were.”
He continued: “By doing this, all we got is men of fighting age that are most likely terrorists that are here in the homeland to do us all harm and take our beloved United States of America. Maybe if the Biden administration started the process earlier than the truncated timetable that they did, this could have all come out so much better, including all of our most precious men and women of our military coming home.”
EX-FBI SPECIAL AGENT EXPLAINS AFGHAN VETTING FAILURES IN WAKE OF NATIONAL GUARD AMBUSH: ‘TICKING TIME BOMB’
The FBI is leading the
investigation into the shooting
, and multiple intelligence sources tell Fox News Digital the attack is being treated as a possible act of international terrorism. The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Afghan national
Rahmanullah Lakanwal
, was taken into custody after allegedly ambushing the two West Virginia National Guardsmen near the White House.
Fox News Digital previously reported that Lakanwal entered the United States in September 2021 under Operation Allies Welcome, immediately following the fall of Kabul, and that he had
worked with several U.S. government entities
, including the CIA, as part of a partner force in Kandahar.
“The individual — and so many others — should have never been allowed to come here,” former CIA Director John Ratcliffe told Fox News Digital. “Our citizens and service members deserve far better than to endure the ongoing fallout from the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures.”
ALLEGED DC SHOOTER ENTERED US UNDER AFGHAN RESETTLEMENT PUSH MAYORKAS VOWED WOULD BE DONE ‘SWIFTLY AND SAFELY’
Hoover says the shooting confirms what he and other Gold Star parents feared when thousands of Afghans were evacuated during the final days of the withdrawal — that many individuals were
allowed into the United States without adequate screening
.
“We had no idea who Biden put on those planes,” Hoover said. “None.”
Wednesday’s comments come after years of public criticism from Hoover, who has been one of the most vocal parents demanding accountability for the
Abbey Gate attack
that killed 13 American service members, including his son Taylor, an 11-year Marine veteran who was engaged to be married and on his third deployment to Afghanistan.
ALLEGED NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTER WORKED WITH US GOVERNMENT ENTITIES IN AFGHANISTAN, INCLUDING CIA: RATCLIFFE
Hoover’s earlier remarks made headlines in 2024, when he reacted to President Biden falsely claiming during a presidential debate that no U.S. service members had died under his watch. At the time, Hoover told Fox News Digital that he felt “rage” hearing Biden deny the deaths of the Abbey Gate 13.
“The rage, the absolute disgust that I got from hearing him say that — I started yelling back at the TV,” he said in 2024. “He’s never acknowledged, not one time, any of our kids. He’s never said their names.”
He also revealed then that the Biden administration sent the Abbey Gate families a batch of identical condolence letters a year after the attack.
DETAILS EMERGE ON CIA UNIT ALLEGED NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTER SERVED WITH IN AFGHANISTAN
“All 13 families got a canned letter,” he said in a 2024 Fox News Digital interview. “It looked like it was a photocopy. We’ve had absolutely nothing before, nothing since.”
Hoover’s frustration at being unable to secure a
meeting with Biden
was also part of that earlier reporting.
“[Biden] doesn’t want to deal with us,” Hoover said in 2024. “He knows that we’re in his face, but he doesn’t want to deal with us.”
But Hoover told Fox News Digital this week that Wednesday’s shooting, allegedly carried out by an Afghan national allowed into the country during the withdrawal, is a devastating new chapter. To him, it demonstrates that the consequences of the troubled evacuation are still unfolding on American soil.
Federal officials say the investigation into the shooting remains active. Hoover says he will continue speaking out until the families of the Abbey Gate fallen receive answers — and until the former administration takes responsibility for what he believes are ongoing failures.
“This isn’t going away,” he said at the time. “We’re not going away.”
Fox News Digital’s Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
