ISIS Suspect Caught in Kabul Attack

US authorities have apprehended a suspected ISIS member, Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as "Jafar," in connection with the bombing attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. The attack resulted in the deaths of 13 US troops and over 170 Afghan civilians.

Sharifullah, who was part of the Islamic State offshoot in the Khorasan region, was arrested with the assistance of the Pakistani government, according to President Donald Trump, who announced the arrest and extradition on March 4. The US Department of Justice identified Sharifullah as the suspect on March 5.

According to a criminal affidavit published by the DOJ, Sharifullah admitted to assisting other ISIS-K members in multiple deadly attacks, including a June 20, 2016, suicide bombing at the Canadian Embassy in Kabul. He also admitted to surveilling the route the bomber took to carry out the August 2021 attack at the Kabul airport.

Sharifullah faces a single charge of providing material support to designated terrorist organizations and could face a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted. The FBI credited the CIA with assisting in the operation, with FBI Director Kash Patel stating that the agency will continue to hunt down those responsible for the attack.

The Kabul airport attack was one of the deadliest incidents in the final stages of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of 11 US Marines, one US Army special operations soldier, and a US Navy corpsman. Over 150 others were injured, including 18 US troops and several Taliban militants.