US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on X that the State Department had paused visa issuance for all individuals traveling on Afghan passports.

He said the United States had no higher priority than protecting national security and public safety.

The State Department said in a separate post that it was taking all necessary steps to safeguard the country, Al Jazeera reported.

US Citizenship and Immigration Services said it had suspended the processing of all immigration applications from Afghan nationals until further notice following the attack on National Guard members.

A man armed with a revolver opened fire on officers stationed near the White House on Wednesday, wounding a male and a female officer.

On Thursday, Attorney General Pam Bondi said prosecutors would seek the death penalty if either victim died.

US President Donald Trump later said the female officer, 20-year-old Sarah Beckstrom, had died in hospital, while her 24-year-old colleague remained in critical condition.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said the suspect was an Afghan national who had previously worked with the CIA and other US government agencies in Afghanistan before moving to the United States in 2021.

US media identified the suspect as 29-year-old Rahmanullah Lakanwal.

MNA