UPDATE - US announces immediate pause on visa issuance for Afghan passport holders

ADDS STATEMENT BY US CITIZENSHOP AND IMMIGRATION SERVICES

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US State Department said Friday it has immediately paused visa issuance for those traveling on Afghan passports.

"The Department is taking all necessary steps to protect U.S. national security and public safety," it wrote on US social media company X.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the US "has no higher priority than protecting our nation and our people."

It came after an Rahmanullah Lakanwal, an Afghan national, was identified as the suspected shooter in an attack that killed a National Guard member and wounded another near the White House on Wednesday.

The US announced that it suspended all immigration processing for Afghan nationals following the incident.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) said it has halted all asylum decisions.

"USCIS has halted all asylum decisions until we can ensure that every alien is vetted and screened to the maximum degree possible. The safety of the American people always comes first," the agency's director, Joseph Edlow, wrote on X.