ISIS-K leader behind Kabul airport attack captured in Pakistan
Memorial sign honoring fallen US service members outside the US Capitol (Photo: Getty Images)
Pakistan has detained the mastermind of the 2021 Kabul airport attack that killed 13 American service members and dozens of Afghans, The New York Times reports.
US President Donald Trump announced the capture of Mohammad Sharifullah, a senior leader of ISIS-K, who played a key role in orchestrating the deadly bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“We have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” Trump said in his congressional address.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif confirmed that Sharifullah, an Afghan national, was arrested by Pakistani security forces near the Afghanistan border. According to Axios, US intelligence provided critical information that led to his detention. The arrest marks a major success in counterterrorism efforts, as Trump’s CIA Director John Ratcliffe had prioritized tracking down those responsible for the attack.
Grieving relative kisses portrait of fallen U.S. service member (Photo: GettyImages)
Major counterterrorism victory
The Kabul airport bombing carried out in August 2021, became a symbol of the deadly chaos surrounding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. At the time, intelligence agencies had warned of potential terror threats at the airport, where thousands of Afghans were desperately trying to flee as the Taliban took control of the country.
Trump, without mentioning President Joe Biden directly, criticized the withdrawal as “disastrous and incompetent,” calling the Abbey Gate bombing “perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
Sharifullah is expected to arrive in the United States on Wednesday, where he will face prosecution. His capture reignites political tensions over the Afghanistan withdrawal, as Republicans continue to accuse Biden of misleading the public about the evacuation process and ignoring intelligence warnings.
