jilipark Afghan Charged in 2021 Kabul Attack That Killed 13 U.S. Service Members

The F.B.I. arrested an Afghan national charged with playing a role in the deadly 2021 attack on U.S. service members as they carried out a tumultuous evacuation of civilians at Afghanistan’s main airport, the Justice Department announced on Wednesday.

The man, Mohammad Sharifullah, is accused of helping a suicide bomber approach the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul that August without being detected. The horrific attack killed 13 U.S. military service members and injured approximately 160 civilians.

Mr. Sharifullah was flown back to the United States early Wednesday and charged with violating terrorism statutes. He appeared later that day in federal court in Alexandria, Va., and a preliminary hearing was set for March 10. If convicted,phpgames he faces the possibility of life in prison.

Officials said the United States had provided intelligence to Pakistan that led to Mr. Sharifullah’s capture. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan said that Mr. Sharifullah had been arrested by Pakistani security forces in the border region with Afghanistan.

In an interview on Sunday with F.B.I. agents from the Washington field office, Mr. Sharifullah admitted he was a member of the Islamic State Khorasan, or ISIS-K, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.

The attack took place at what was known as the Abbey Gate, the entry point to the airport for thousands of civilians hoping to flee Afghanistan as the Taliban took hold of the country. The bloody attack became a symbol of the chaotic U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in the opening months of the Biden administration.

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Produced by Robert Jimison and Michael Simon Johnson

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