• In first address to Congress, President Trump thanks Pakistan for apprehending IS-Khorasan operative
• PM, Dar vow to continue working closely with US
• Wanted for 2021 Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport, Sharifullah was also linked to 2024 terror attack in Moscow

WASHINGTON/ ISLAMABAD: In his first address to Congress, US President Donald Trump made a dramatic announcement, praising Pakistan for arresting the mastermind behind the Kabul airport bombing by the militant Islamic State (IS or ISIS) group, which claimed the lives of 170 Afghans and over a dozen US servicemen in 2021.

In a rare public gesture of appreciation, Trump thanked Islamabad for its role in facilitating the capture - reportedly based on intelligence provided by Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – saying: “I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster.”

“I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” Trump declared, referring to the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing that took place during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

The development, which could positively influence US-Pakistan relations, was hailed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who reiterated Pakistan’s resolve to work closely with Washington.

“We thank US President Donald Trump for acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan’s role and support in counter terrorism efforts,” he wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“Pakistan has always played a critical role in counter terrorism efforts aimed at denying safe havens to terrorists and militant groups the space to operate against any other country,” PM Shehbaz wrote.

Meanwhile, a Foreign Office readout on Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s conversation with US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz also emphasised that commitment. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue its cooperation with the US in the field of counterterrorism, the FO stated.

Pakistan, which has not been a priority for the US in recent years, remained largely ignored following Trump’s return to the White House.

It was expected that engagement between the two countries would remain minimal, but Sharifullah’s capture and subsequent extradition seems to have opened a pathway for renewed, albeit transactional, counterterrorism collaboration.

This acknowledgment of Pakistan’s cooperation, particularly with its intelligence services, is expected to reinforce the longstanding military-to-military relationship between the two nations.

While IS-K and the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) remain threats to the two countries, deep-seated trust issues and strategic concerns regarding China loom over any long-term substantive engagement. FM Dar also used the occasion to signal support for President Trump’s announcement to withdraw the US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan.

Pakistan has been a victim of the leftover weapons, some of which have now been transferred to terrorist groups. It has long tried to draw Biden administration’s attention to the issue, but to no avail.

The two sides have now reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cooperation in IT, energy and mineral sectors.

They also agreed on the need to have continued dialogues on trade, investment, climate change and health as part of a broad-based agenda in the days to come, the FO further said about the conversation between FM Dar and NSA Waltz.

Who is Sharifullah?

According to US media reports, the arrest was the result of close cooperation between the CIA and Pakistan’s intelligence services, although PM Shehbaz attributed the apprehension to “Pakistan Security Forces”.

The US Justice Department named the arrested man as Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, and said he is expected to appear in a Virginia court on Wednesday.

A leader of the Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, media reports suggested Sharifullah was captured near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border after the CIA provided precise intelligence on his location.

He has been charged with “providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organisation resulting in death.”

In a statement, the Justice Department said it had caught Sharifullah with the help of the CIA and FBI, without naming Pakistan.

It said he admitted to FBI special agents “to helping prepare” for the attack, “including scouting a route near the airport for an attacker.”

“This evil ISIS-K terrorist orchestrated the brutal murder of 13 heroic Marines,” Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement.

“He confessed. This was the planner of that bombing,” White House national security adviser Mike Waltz said in an interview with Fox News.

Sharifullah also admitted to involvement in several other attacks, the Justice Department said, including the March 2024 Moscow Crocus City Hall attack in which he said “he had shared instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons to would-be attackers.”

Earlier, in April 2023, the Biden White House had announced that an IS operative involved in plotting the attack at the airport’s Abbey Gate had been killed in an operation by Afghanistan’s new Taliban government.

Trump claims credit

President Trump described the arrest of as a victory for the families of the US service members killed in the attack, adding: “This was a very momentous day for those 13 families, whose children were murdered, and for the many others who were so badly injured — over 42 people — on that fateful day in Afghanistan. What a horrible day.”

He also linked the attack — and what he characterized as the incompetence of the Biden administration’s withdrawal — to broader global consequences: “Such incompetence was shown that when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin saw what happened, I guess he said, ‘Wow, maybe this is my chance.’ That’s how bad it was. Should have never happened. Grossly incompetent people.”

This cooperation between Washington and Islamabad could be the beginning of a significant shift, following years of strained relations between their intelligence communities.

The episode also highlights that under Trump’s leadership, the US will prioritise security cooperation over political concerns — continuing past policies rather than making a significant shift.

For the Pakistani establishment, this is a diplomatic victory. After years of friction, particularly following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan and Washington’s growing alignment with India, this successful operation allows it to reassert itself as Washington’s indispensable partner in the country.

This episode also fits into a broader historical pattern in US-Pakistan relations. Whenever a major counterterrorism opportunity arises, Pakistan’s military leverages its operational control to rebuild ties with Washington.

This was the case after 9/11, when President Musharraf’s cooperation made Pakistan a key US ally in the war on terror. Now, with Sharifullah’s capture, the military is once again positioning itself as Washington’s indispensable partner.

Published in Dawn, March 6th, 2025