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(by Pierre Thomas and Jack Date, ABC News) – The U.S. now has in custody a key figure in three major terror attacks, including the deadly August 2021 suicide bombing targeting U.S. soldiers at Abbey Gate in Afghanistan that killed 13 U.S. military service members and 160 civilians as the U.S. sought to withdraw from that country.
According to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Mohammad Sharifullah, described as an ISIS-K operative, allegedly admitted to his involvement in the attacks to FBI agents in an interview after they read him his Miranda rights on Sunday at an undisclosed location.
As part of his service to ISIS-K, Sharifullah allegedly conducted surveillance “so that he could prepare the suicide bomber and transport him to the target area.”
The bomber later used a “body worn improvised explosive device to conduct the attack,” the complaint said.
Sharifullah claimed to agents that he was in prison in Afghanistan from 2019 until approximately two weeks prior to the Abbey Gate attack. It is believed that he was released by the Taliban in the waning days as the Afghan republic crumbled.
Sharifullah also allegedly revealed he played a role in the suicide bombing targeting the U.S. embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in June 2016 that killed 10 embassy guards and wounded other soldiers guarding the Canadian embassy.
The complaint also claims that Sharifullah played a role in on one of the largest terror attacks in recent memory.
“On March 22, 2024, a group affiliated with ISIS-K attacked Crocus City Hall, a popular concert venue complex near Moscow, Russia. … The attack killed approximately 130 people.”
Sharifullah is charged with unlawfully conspiring to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death.
U.S. officials have told ABC News that Pakistani officials arrested Sharifullah last month and recently turned him over to U.S. officials.
Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel both posted on X, saying that the operation to extradite Sharifullah involved the Justice Department, the FBI and the CIA.
U.S. officials said Sharifullah was one of two masterminds involved in the planning of the bombing. He is described as a regional Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, commander.
A senior defense official told CBS News that Sharifullah was captured roughly 10 days ago in a joint raid between Pakistani intelligence and the Central Intelligence Agency.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement that the operation was conducted in the Pakistan-Afghan border region.
President Trump announced the arrest in his address Tuesday night to a joint session of Congress, and thanked the Pakistani government.
Sharifullah appeared at an initial hearing in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, Wednesday afternoon. A formal detention hearing was scheduled for Monday.
Wearing a blue jail jumpsuit, Sharifullah was told in court that he’ll face a potential life sentence in prison if convicted of conspiracy to provide material support of a foreign terrorist organization. Sharifullah used an interpreter to communicate with the judge. Attorneys argued he has no assets and needs a federal public defender.
The names of the service members killed on Aug. 26, 2021 as a result of Mohammad Sharifullah’s terrorist actions are:
- Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, 20-years-old
- Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, 20-years-old
- Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, 20-years-old
- Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, 20-years-old
- Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, 20-years-old
- Cpl. Hunter Lopez, 22-years-old
- Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, 22-years-old
- Corpsman Maxlon W. Soviak, 22-years-old
- Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, 23-years-old.
- Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss. 23-years-old
- Cpl. Daegan W. Page, 23-years-old
- Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, 31-years-old
- Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosariopichardo, 25
Read about these heroes at abcnews.
Compiled from articles published at ABC News and at CBS News by Margaret Brennan, Jordan Freiman, James LaPorta, Scott MacFarlane on March 5, 2025. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced on other websites without permission.
Questions
1. Who is Mohammad Sharifullah?
2. What terror attacks did Sharifullah admit to when interviewed by the FBI?
3. What part did he play in the suicide attack that killed 13 of our military service members in Afghanistan?
4. How was Sharifullah apprehended?
5. Read the “Background” and watch the news reports under “Resources” below. It took 3 years, but this terrorist was apprehended. President Trump has met with most/all of the service members’ families. Bringing the terrorists to justice was one of his priorities.
Read about the service members who lost their lives by the terrorist attack at abcnews. What sentence do you think Sharifullah should receive for his crimes? Explain your answer.
6. Considering Sharifullah’s involvement in the terrorist attack in the theater in Russia last year,
if President Vladimir Putin asked the U.S. to extradite him to Russia to face justice there as well, should the U.S. consider it? Explain your answer.
Background
Abbey Gate refers to a suicide bombing that occurred on August 26, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, during the Biden administration U.S.-led evacuation following the Taliban’s takeover of the country.
The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, [conducted] under President Biden in August 2021, has been widely criticized as a poorly executed operation that led to chaotic scenes, loss of life, and a swift Taliban takeover.
The withdrawal stemmed from a February 2020 deal between the Trump administration and the Taliban, known as the Doha Agreement, which set a timeline for U.S. troop withdrawal by May 1, 2021, in exchange for Taliban promises to prevent terrorist groups like al-Qaeda from operating in Afghanistan.
The Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), trained and funded by the U.S. [over the previous almost 20 years] at a cost of over $80 billion, disintegrated almost overnight as the Taliban advanced. Key issues included:
- Poor Planning and Overestimation: The Biden administration underestimated the speed of the Taliban’s advance and overestimated the ANSF’s ability to hold ground. Intelligence reports had warned of a potential collapse, but the timeline was misjudged—Kabul fell in days, not months.
- Corruption and Morale: Years of corruption, desertions, and lack of cohesive leadership within the Afghan government and military eroded any resistance. President Ashraf Ghani fled the country on August 15, 2021, signaling the end.
Chaotic Evacuation at Kabul Airport: The withdrawal culminated in a frenzied evacuation centered at Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul:
- Delayed Start: The evacuation of U.S. citizens, allies, and vulnerable Afghans began too late, despite warnings from diplomats and military officials. By mid-August, the Taliban had encircled Kabul, leaving little time to organize.
- Overwhelmed Infrastructure: HKIA became a bottleneck, with desperate crowds storming the runways. On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing by ISIS-K killed 13 U.S. service members and over 170 Afghans, exposing security vulnerabilities.
- Abandoned Allies: Thousands of Afghan interpreters, contractors, and others who aided the U.S. were left behind due to bureaucratic delays in the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) process, despite promises to protect them.
Trump has emphasized he would have kept Bagram Air Base operational until the evacuation was complete, calling its abandonment under Biden a critical mistake.
Bagram, located 40 miles north of Kabul, was a heavily fortified hub with two runways, capable of supporting large-scale military and evacuation operations. Trump argued it provided a strategic foothold to oversee the withdrawal and deter Taliban aggression.
However, Biden’s administration closed Bagram in July 2021, before the evacuation peaked, forcing reliance on the vulnerable Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) in Kabul. Trump contends this decision surrendered a key asset, leading to the chaotic scenes at HKIA.
Trump has said he’d have evacuated civilians and sensitive equipment first, then withdrawn troops — “not the other way around.” He criticized Biden for pulling out military forces before securing Americans and allies.
Biden reduced troop levels to 2,500 early in 2021 and pulled most forces before the mass evacuation began, leaving limited personnel to manage the chaos. The rushed exit stranded equipment and people.
Political and Humanitarian Fallout
- Taliban Takeover: The withdrawal handed Afghanistan back to the Taliban, undoing 20 years of U.S.-led efforts. The group swiftly imposed repressive policies, particularly against women and minorities.
- Abandoned Equipment: Billions in U.S. military hardware—vehicles, weapons, aircraft—were left behind, much of it seized by the Taliban, enhancing their capabilities.
- Global Perception: The disorganized exit damaged U.S. credibility, with allies questioning American reliability and adversaries like Russia and China exploiting the narrative of decline.
Biden argued the withdrawal ended America’s longest war, fulfilling a campaign promise, and blamed Trump’s Doha deal for tying his hands. He claimed chaos was inevitable given the Afghan government’s fragility. Critics, however, point to:
- Failure to Adapt: The administration could have renegotiated or adjusted the withdrawal plan but stuck rigidly to the timeline.
- Public Missteps: Biden’s assurances in July 2021 that a Taliban takeover was not inevitable and that the evacuation would be orderly were quickly contradicted by events, eroding trust.
(Compiled and abridged from two Grok3 Beta searches on the withdrawal from Afghanistan and Abbey Gate)
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