ISLAMABAD: President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the arrest of a senior Daesh commander implicated in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing that killed 13 US service members during the withdrawal of international forces from Afghanistan, thanking Pakistan for making it possible.
The August 26, 2021, suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul occurred amid the US evacuation from the country, which also led to the death of about 170 Afghan civilians.
The incident drew widespread criticism of former President Joe Biden administration’s handling of the military pullout, with many, including members of Trump’s Republican Party, labeling it as poorly planned and executed.
“ISIS [Daesh] terrorists killed 13 American service members and countless others in the Abbey Gate bombing during the disastrous and incompetent withdrawal from Afghanistan,” Trump said, referring to one of the Kabul airport entrances, while addressing the US Congress. “Not that they were withdrawing, it was the way they withdrew. Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country. Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.”
“And I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,” he continued. “This was a very momentous day for those 13 families who I actually got to know very well, most of them whose children were murdered, and the many people that were so badly, over 42 people so badly injured on that fateful day.”
According to reports in the US media, Trump was referring to Mohammad Sharifullah, a Daesh commander allegedly involved in masterminding the bombing. CNN said he was being “charged with providing and conspiring to provide material support for terrorism, according to a source familiar with the matter.”
It added: “Pakistan acted on CIA intelligence that led to the arrest of Sharifullah, according to another source familiar with the matter.”
Pakistan and the US have a history of cooperation in counterterrorism efforts, particularly during the “war on terror” following the September 11 attacks.
Despite periods of strained relations, Pakistan has captured and handed over several Taliban and Al-Qaeda members to US authorities.
However, both nations have faced criticism from human rights organizations, alleging that not all detainees were affiliated with militant groups and highlighting concerns over the treatment of these individuals, including reports of extreme interrogation techniques such as waterboarding and sleep deprivation.
While no comprehensive statement has emerged from Pakistan about the details of the operation leading to the Daesh leader’s arrest, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the US president for acknowledging and appreciating his country’s role and support in counterterrorism.
He also noted that Sharifullah was an Afghan national and confirmed the involvement of Pakistan’s security forces in his arrest.
“The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in [the] Pakistan-Afghanistan border region,” he said in a social media post on X.
“As is well-known, Pakistan has always played a critical role in counterterrorism efforts aimed at denying safe havens to terrorists and militant groups the space to operate against any other country,” he continued. “We remain steadfast in our resolve and unwavering commitment to combating terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.”
Sharif highlighted Pakistan’s sacrifices while fighting against militant groups, saying the country had lost over 80,000 of its soldiers and citizens.
“The resolve of our leadership and our people remains unflinching, to eradicate the menace of terrorism from our country,” he added. “We will continue to partner closely with the United States in securing regional peace and stability.”
Trump says Pakistan helped capture Daesh militant behind Kabul bombing that killed 13 Americans
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Trump says Pakistan helped capture Daesh militant behind Kabul bombing that killed 13 Americans
- The bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport took place when US forces were pulling out from Afghanistan
- Pakistan PM says his country will continue to partner closely with the US in securing regional peace and stability
Pakistan joins regional talks on Afghanistan in Iran as Kabul stays away
- China, Pakistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan all joined talks organized by Iran, as did Russia
- Afghanistan was invited but decided not to attend, Taliban-led government was tight-lipped on the reasons
TEHRAN, Iran: Afghanistan’s neighbors met in Iran and agreed to deepen regional coordination to address political, economic and security challenges, as well as calling for sanctions on Afghanistan to be lifted.
The only absent party? Afghanistan itself.
China, Pakistan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan all joined the talks organized by Iran, as did Russia, according to a statement released after the meeting on Sunday.
Afghanistan was invited but decided not to attend. Its Taliban-led government was tight-lipped on the reasons, with the foreign ministry saying only that it would not participate because Afghanistan “currently maintains active engagement with regional countries through existing regional organizations and formats, and has made good progress in this regard.”
The statement from the talks in Iran stressed the importance of maintaining economic and trade ties with Afghanistan to improve living conditions and called for the country’s integration into regional political and economic processes.
The Taliban were isolated after they retook power in Afghanistan in August 2021, but in the past year, they have developed diplomatic ties. They now raise several billion dollars every year in tax revenues to keep the lights on.
However, Afghanistan is still struggling economically. Millions rely on aid for survival, and the struggling economy has been further impacted by the international community not recognizing the Taliban government’s seizure of power in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US-led troops in 2021. Natural disasters and the flow of Afghans fleeing Pakistan under pressure to return home have underlined Afghanistan’s reliance on foreign aid to meet essential needs.
The countries at the talks also voiced security concerns and pledged cooperation in combating terrorism, drug trafficking and human smuggling, while opposing any foreign military presence in Afghanistan. They underscored the responsibility of the international community to lift sanctions and release Afghanistan’s frozen assets, and urged international organizations to support the dignified return of Afghan refugees from neighboring countries.
The participants backed efforts to reduce tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan, which have been particularly strained, with border clashes between the two sides killing dozens of civilians, soldiers and suspected militants and wounding hundreds more.
The violence followed explosions in Kabul on Oct. 9 that Afghan authorities blamed on Pakistan. A Qatar-mediated ceasefire has largely held since October, although there have been limited border clashes. The two sides failed to reach an overall agreement in November despite three rounds of peace talks.
Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s former special representative for Afghanistan, said the Taliban government’s decision to skip the meeting reflected a “lack of political maturity.”
Writing on X, Durrani said the move reinforced concerns that the Taliban were unwilling to negotiate, instead adopting an “I don’t accept” stance that he said would do little to resolve serious regional problems.
Mohammad Sadiq, the current Pakistani special representative for Afghanistan who attended the talks, wrote on X that the Afghan people had already suffered enough and deserved better.
Only an Afghanistan that does not harbor militants would inspire confidence among neighboring and regional countries to engage meaningfully with Kabul and help unlock the country’s economic and connectivity potential, he wrote.
Participants agreed to hold the next meeting of foreign ministers of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries as soon as possible in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, and welcomed Pakistan’s offer to host the next round of special envoys’ talks in Islamabad in March.
Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, on Sunday said that the meeting had not been held for about two years and marked the first such gathering attended by special envoys on Afghanistan from neighboring countries as well as Russia. Russia and Uzbekistan sent the special envoys of their presidents, while Pakistan was represented by a delegate from the prime minister’s office.
Landlocked Afghanistan is sandwiched between the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia, making it strategically located for energy-rich and energy-hungry nations.
