ISLAMABAD – A major counterterrorism win for Pakistan and the US as Mohammad Sharifullah, a notorious militant of ISIS-Khoraan, has been nabbed for planning Kabul Airport Bombing that killed over a dozen US troops.
US President Donald Trump thanked the Pakistani government for a joint venture in which Sharifullah was nabbed at tip-off from the CIA.
A Pakistani journalist Iftikhar Firdous shared insights from his upcoming book on how Sharifullah sophisticated planned bombing at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai Airport.
The militant was captured around February 2025 near the Pak-Afghan border after a coordinated intelligence operation involving Pakistani intelligence officials and a US federal agency.
Sharifullah also planned several high-profile attacks in Kabul and parts of war-torn nation. He was held by Afghan forces before Covid but he managed to escape during the chaotic Taliban takeover. During his imprisonment, Sharifullah planned the Abbey Gate bombing, a chilling reminder of how Daesh continues to operate in Taliban-led country.
The journalist quoting his well-informed sources said Sharifullah was not lone wold but was a well-connected person as he had close ties with other leaders, including Abu Saad Al-Khorasani, who was imprisoned alongside him.
The arrest of Sharifullah is seen as part of a broader intelligence-sharing operation between Islamabad and American agencies.
Sharifullah, who was captured from SouthWestern Pakistan, is now being extradited to America under a prisoner exchange treaty.
Kabul Airport Bombing
It was late August 2021, when a suicide bombing rocked Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul, during US evacuation process, killing at least 182 people, including 169 Afghan civilians and 13 American troops.
In response, the American army launched drone strikes on August 27 targeting suspected ISIS-K members in Nangarhar Province, followed by a second drone strike in the capital, killing 10 civilians, including seven children.
After the bombing, the US conducted more airstrikes, killing two key figures involved in the planning of the attack. However, investigations later revealed that the August 29 strike had mistakenly killed innocent civilians, sparking public criticism of the US military’s actions.
How ISIS commander Mohammad Sharifullah was arrested from Pak-Afghan border area?
