Afghan goes on trial in US for Kabul airport bombing in 2021

An Afghan national has gone on trial in a U.S. federal court over his alleged role in the deadly 2021 bombing at Kabul airport during the final days of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as “Jafar,” faces a charge of providing and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS-K, the Afghan affiliate of the Islamic State group, resulting in death. He has pleaded not guilty.

The attack, which took place on August 26, 2021, at Kabul airport, killed more than 180 people, including 13 U.S. service members, as thousands of Afghans crowded the facility seeking evacuation amid the Islamic Emirate return to power.

A jury was selected on Monday, with opening statements and witness testimony beginning shortly thereafter. If convicted, Sharifullah could face life imprisonment.

Prosecutors allege that Sharifullah helped prepare for the bombing at Abbey Gate, the airport’s main entry point during the evacuation. According to court filings, he admitted during FBI interviews that he scouted a route for the attacker, checking for security presence and reporting back to other ISIS-K (Daesh) members that the route was clear.

The suicide bombing was carried out by Abdul Rahman al-Logari, who detonated an explosive device at approximately 5:36 p.m.

Sharifullah told investigators he had been released from prison about two weeks before the attack and was subsequently recruited, receiving a motorcycle and a mobile phone, prosecutors said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gibbs told the court that the defendant spoke extensively with authorities, participating in multiple FBI interviews conducted in Pakistan, during transit to the United States, and after arrival.

“You will hear his words, and you will see a great deal of evidence of his guilt,” Gibbs said in his opening remarks.

However, defence attorney Geremy Kamens rejected the allegations, arguing that the wrong person had been charged and that any statements made by Sharifullah were obtained under duress.

“This man, Mohammad Sharifullah, had nothing to do with it,” Kamens told the court, adding that the central issue was identifying who was truly responsible.

Expert testimony from Bruce Hoffman provided jurors with context on ISIS operations and described the situation at the airport ahead of the bombing as “complete pandemonium.”

During cross-examination, the defence sought to shift attention toward the IEA’s control over Kabul at the time, highlighting their influence in the days leading up to the attack.

In April 2023, IEA authorities said they had killed an ISIS-K figure described as the mastermind behind the Abbey Gate bombing, an operation carried out without U.S. involvement, according to officials from the administration of Joe Biden.

The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has faced sustained criticism over its execution, particularly in the wake of the airport attack.