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WASHINGTON (AP) — A suspected elder planner successful the termination bombing astatine the Kabul airdrome that killed 13 American work members during the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan has been taken into custody and volition look Wednesday successful national tribunal successful the United States to look charges.
President Donald Trump announced the apprehension during his Tuesday nighttime code to Congress, with the White House and the Justice Department subsequently identifying the fishy arsenic Mohammad Sharifullah. Officials impeach him of being a subordinate of the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, known arsenic ISIS-Khorasan, oregon ISIS-K, and accidental helium admitted his relation successful that onslaught and others during an interrogation with FBI agents connected Sunday aft being taken into custody.
Senior Pakistani quality officers connected Wednesday confirmed the apprehension and said Sharifullah, besides known arsenic Jafar, was captured successful the country's restive southwest Balochistan state adjacent the borderline with Afghanistan aft aggregate operations had failed to prehend him. The officers, who spoke connected the information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to speech to the media, said Sharifullah had joined the militant radical successful 2016 and was progressive successful galore attacks crossed Afghanistan.
Sharifullah is charged successful national tribunal successful Virginia with providing worldly enactment to a overseas violent organization, resulting successful death. He volition look a justice connected Wednesday and beryllium assigned a lawyer to talk connected his behalf. Additional charges are imaginable arsenic the lawsuit moves done the tribunal system.
Trump, successful his code to Congress, said helium was "pleased to denote that we person conscionable apprehended the apical violent liable for that atrocity. And helium is close present connected his mode present to look the swift sword of American justice.”
The Abbey Gate bombing, successful the waning days of an airlift for those fleeing the Taliban takeover of the state amid the withdrawal by U.S. forces from the country, occurred successful August 2021 erstwhile a termination bomber attacked crowds of Afghans flocking to Kabul’s airport. Besides 13 U.S. work members, astir 170 Afghans were besides killed successful the attack, which triggered wide legislature disapproval and undermined nationalist assurance successful President Joe Biden’s administration.
According to an FBI affidavit filed arsenic portion of the case, Sharifullah admitted nether questioning to having joined ISIS-K successful 2016 and to having participated successful the Abbey Gate bombing by scouting a way to the airdrome for the bomber and communicating to different members of the militant radical that the way was clear. The bomber was aboriginal identified arsenic Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State radical militant who had been successful an Afghan situation but was released by the Taliban arsenic the radical took power of the state that summer.
During his FBI interrogation, Sharifullah besides said helium had shared firearms and weapons instructions earlier a March 2024 onslaught successful Moscow that was besides carried retired by ISIS-K, authorities said.
Sharifullah was arrested successful 2019 by the U.S.-backed Afghan authorities astatine the clip but escaped from situation connected Aug. 15, 2021, arsenic the Taliban took Kabul.
The Pakistani officials said Sharifullah had planned the bombing from down bars with different elder militant figures. They said helium remained connected the tally successful the borderline areas of Balochistan until his apprehension done a associated intelligence-sharing cognition betwixt Pakistan and the U.S.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked Trump for “acknowledging and appreciating” the country’s relation successful antagonistic coercion efforts successful Afghanistan.
“We volition proceed to spouse intimately with the United States successful securing determination bid and stability,” Sharif said connected the societal level X.
From Kabul, the Taliban main spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid declined to remark beyond saying that the apprehension “on Pakistani soil” of an Afghan nationalist and subordinate of the Islamic State radical shows that IS radical figures “have taken refuge and established havens” wrong Pakistan.
"This contented has thing to bash with Afghanistan,” Mujahid said. The determination Islamic State affiliate is simply a rival radical to the Afghan Taliban.
Trump, a Republican, had repeatedly condemned Biden's relation successful the Afghanistan withdrawal connected the run way and blamed Biden, a Democrat, for the Abbey Gate attack. A U.S. official, speaking connected the information of anonymity Tuesday nighttime to sermon a lawsuit that had yet to beryllium unsealed, said Sharifullah's apprehension came aft caller U.S. quality assemblage coordination, accrued quality sharing and unit connected determination partners to bring those liable for the onslaught to relationship since Trump’s swearing-in successful January.
