The Kabul bombing took place on August 26, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate, where 13 US service members were killed.
Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the prime accused persons in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, has been apprehended in a joint action by the ISI and CIA. The arrest was made close to the border of Afghanistan and Pakistan in late February 2025. Sharifullah also referred to as “Jafar,” is thought to be a top ISIS-K commander and his whereabouts were given to ISI by the CIA.
The Kabul bombing on August 26, 2021, at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate was claimed by ISIS-K and resulted in the death of 13 US troops. It was among the deadliest against the nation’s troops in the Afghan war.
Though a 2024 Pentagon assessment assigned the bomber to ISIS-K member Abdul Rahman al-Logari, Sharifullah is charged with providing terrorist organisation material support and serving as a central figure in the attack.
Court filings show Sharifullah became a member of ISIS-K in 2016. After being released from prison in mid-August 2021, he was assigned to scout out routes around the airport for the bomber. Sharifullah admitted to FBI agents on March 2, 2025, that he assisted in several ISIS-K attacks and identified the Kabul bomber as a fellow operative from prison.
His past conduct consists of activity in a 2016 bombing at an embassy in Kabul and offering weapons training to a 2024 Moscow nightclub attack. The attack, targeting the Crocus City Hall in Moscow on March 22, 2024, draws attention to Sharifullah’s broader impact on ISIS-K.
Even though he is branded a mastermind, Sharifullah’s position is said to be one of operational planning, not execution. The killing by the Taliban of another unnamed ISIS-K leader who was associated with the April 2023 attack indicates there were several individuals involved.
Top Indian intelligence sources indicate the ISI’s involvement reflects Pakistan’s effort to balance relations between China and the USA. Targeting ISIS-K, a group they have historically sheltered, may be driven by incentives or pressure from the United States.
Sharifullah’s release from prison comes in the wake of the Taliban’s August 2021 release of thousands of terrorists, including members of ISIS-K, from Bagram and Pul-e-Charkhi. This wholesale release, facilitated by the ISI, gave a huge boost to ISIS-K’s power.
