The horrific ambush of two National Guard troops on the streets of Washington DC presents the United States with a diabolical situation.

It’s important to note that we do not know all the facts of the case. We don’t know the alleged shooter’s current circumstances, mental status or politics. Prosecutors and police have not yet alleged a motive, though the charges against him have been upgraded to first-degree murder.

National Guard member Sarah Beckstrom, who died after being shot on the streets of Washington.Credit: AP

What we do know is that the suspect is an Afghan man who worked with the Americans, including the CIA, during the US operation in Afghanistan before 2021.

He was one of tens of thousands of Afghans to whom the US gave refuge as it withdrew from the country – a necessary undertaking, given the danger they were in when the Taliban quickly retook control.

When the US passed laws to enable that intake and expand eligibility for Afghans, only 16 Republicans voted against it, warning that relaxed vetting was a danger the US could not afford.

Today, many Americans will be saying: they were right.

National Guard members on patrol in Washington.Credit: Bloomberg

It certainly looks bad. A person whom the US took in and supported in a time of great need has repaid that trust by allegedly driving across the country to shoot two young soldiers, killing at least one of them, on the streets of........

© The Sydney Morning Herald