Afghan Convicted of Conspiracy in Deadly Suicide Bombing at Kabul Airport
An alleged Daesh group militant was convicted of a conspiracy charge in the deadly suicide bombing at Kabul airport during the US military's chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
VIRGINIA, USA: An alleged Daesh group militant was convicted on Wednesday of a conspiracy charge in a deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul airport during the US military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
Mohammad Sharifullah faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years after his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case.
Approximately 160 Afghans and 13 US service members were killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the airport, where US troops were conducting an evacuation operation when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.
A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to Daesh-K but deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport "resulted from" that conspiracy.
Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question.
Justice Department prosecutor Ryan White said Sharifullah played a crucial role in planning the Abbey Gate bombing and was involved in several other attacks by Daesh-K, including its March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people.
A review by US Central Command found that the Abbey Gate bomber was Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an alleged Daesh group militant who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban.
White said Sharifullah recognized the alleged bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated.
However, the Central Command review concluded that the attack was not preventable.
Biden’s White House was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the first Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020.
A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan's military and the Taliban takeover.
The prosecutor, assigned to the Abbey Gate case, was fired last year after criticism from a right-wing commentator.
During his most recent presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump repeatedly condemned Biden for his role in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and blamed him for the Abbey Gate attack.
Mohammad Sharifullah faces a maximum prison sentence of 20 years after his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case.
Approximately 160 Afghans and 13 US service members were killed in the Aug. 26, 2021, attack at the airport, where US troops were conducting an evacuation operation when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near an entry point known as Abbey Gate.
A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah of providing material support to Daesh-K but deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport "resulted from" that conspiracy.
Sharifullah could have faced a possible life sentence if the jury had unanimously decided that question.
Justice Department prosecutor Ryan White said Sharifullah played a crucial role in planning the Abbey Gate bombing and was involved in several other attacks by Daesh-K, including its March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed roughly 140 people.
A review by US Central Command found that the Abbey Gate bomber was Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an alleged Daesh group militant who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban.
White said Sharifullah recognized the alleged bomber as an operative he had known while incarcerated.
However, the Central Command review concluded that the attack was not preventable.
Biden’s White House was following a withdrawal commitment and timeline that the first Trump administration had negotiated with the Taliban in 2020.
A 2022 review by a government-appointed special investigator concluded decisions made by both Trump and Biden were the key factors leading to the rapid collapse of Afghanistan's military and the Taliban takeover.
The prosecutor, assigned to the Abbey Gate case, was fired last year after criticism from a right-wing commentator.
During his most recent presidential campaign, former President Donald Trump repeatedly condemned Biden for his role in the chaotic Afghanistan withdrawal and blamed him for the Abbey Gate attack.