Afghan terrorist Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah, a member of the terrorist organization the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), was sentenced today to 20 years in prison for providing material support to the designated terrorist organization and participating in a series of attacks, including the deadly 2021 bombing at Kabul’s Abbey Gate..
Sharifullah was arrested by Pakistan in 2025 at Pak-Afghan Border.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Sharifullah was involved in a nearly decade-long ISIS-K conspiracy and participated in more than a dozen terrorist attacks between 2016 and his apprehension in 2025.
The August 26, 2021, Abbey Gate bombing occurred during the evacuation of civilians from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. U.S. and coalition forces were conducting a non-combatant evacuation operation as thousands of Afghans gathered at the airport.
Court records cited by the U.S. Justice Department state that ISIS-K leadership assigned Sharifullah to conduct surveillance of a road leading to the airport and determine whether it was clear of Taliban checkpoints. Sharifullah reportedly informed ISIS-K that the route was clear.
At approximately 5:36 p.m., ISIS-K operative Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated a suicide bomb at Abbey Gate. The attack killed 13 U.S. military personnel and approximately 160 civilians, according to U.S. authorities.
U.S. prosecutors also linked Sharifullah to an ISIS-K attack in Kabul in June 2016 targeting Nepali security guards protecting the Canadian Embassy. Authorities said he conducted surveillance before the attack and later transported the suicide bomber to the location.
The case also includes the March 2024 attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow. According to U.S. court records, Sharifullah communicated with the attackers on behalf of ISIS-K and provided instructions on the use of AK-style rifles and other weapons. More than 100 civilians were killed in the attack, according to the Justice Department.
Across the various operations, prosecutors said Sharifullah performed several roles within ISIS-K, including surveillance, transportation of suicide bombers and weapons, communications between operatives, weapons maintenance and recording explosions for terrorist propaganda.
Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said the sentence holds Sharifullah accountable for his role in attacks that killed civilians and U.S. service members. FBI officials similarly highlighted the international cooperation involved in bringing him to the United States to face prosecution.
The sentencing underscores the transnational reach of ISIS-K, which has conducted or supported attacks beyond Afghanistan while maintaining an operational presence in the region. The U.S. Justice Department said Sharifullah’s case demonstrates its continued efforts to prosecute individuals involved in attacks against Americans and other civilians, regardless of where those attacks occurred.
