Top Terrorist Behind Kabul Airport Attack Apprehended, Transported to US for Justice
In a major victory for counterterrorism efforts, President Donald Trump has announced that the US had successfully captured Mohammad Sharifullah, a key terrorist involved in the 2021 bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate, which claimed the lives of 13 US service members and over 170 Afghan civilians.
This marks a significant moment in the pursuit of justice for those lost in the tragic attack during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.
Speaking to Congress, Trump declared, “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.” Sharifullah, allegedly part of the group that planned the bombing, is being charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support for terrorism. Sources confirmed he is now en route to the United States.
The operation that led to Sharifullah’s capture came following CIA intelligence that was acted upon by Pakistan’s security forces, according to informed sources.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, thanked Trump for acknowledging Pakistan’s role in the arrest. “We will continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability,” Sharif said in a statement. The arrest was made in the border region between Pakistan and Afghanistan, where Sharifullah was apprehended in a targeted operation.
Trump, in his address, also renewed his criticism of President Joe Biden over the handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, an issue he often raised during his campaign last year.
He reflected on his recent conversations with the families of the fallen service members, many of whom expressed their emotional relief over the arrest. “What a momentous day for those 13 families, whose children were murdered in the bombing,” Trump said, emphasizing the lasting pain caused by the attack.
Sharifullah, who had been imprisoned until just weeks before the Abbey Gate bombing, was recruited by ISIS-K—a branch of ISIS—in 2016, according to the indictment unsealed on Tuesday.
During a recent FBI interview, he confessed to supporting several lethal ISIS-K operations, including the deadly Kabul airport bombing. Sharifullah is accused of conducting surveillance on potential attack routes and even aiding a bomber in the attack, which targeted Hamid Karzai International Airport.
In court documents, Sharifullah—also known as “Jafar”—is alleged to have played a role in other terrorist activities, including the transport of a bomber for an attack on embassy guards in Kabul in 2016 and providing weapons training for a terrorist group involved in a Moscow nightclub attack the previous year.
The announcement has been met with praise from key figures within the Trump administration, including FBI Director Kash Patel, who stated: “As President Trump just announced, tonight the FBI, DOJ, and CIA have extradited one of the terrorists responsible for the murder of the 13 American soldiers at Abbey Gate during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal. One step closer to justice for these American heroes and their families.”
With Sharifullah now in US custody, the world can expect a reckoning for those responsible for one of the most harrowing terrorist attacks in recent memory, marking a critical step toward justice for the victims and their loved ones.
