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Kabul Airport bombing suspect not a top-level planner of deadly attack: FBI
Mohammad Sharifullah will however remain in custody on charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a terrorist organization, US judge stated in a federal court
Kabul Airport bombing suspect, who was arrested in Pakistan last week and extradited to the United States, was not a top-level planner of the deadly attack in August 2021, the FBI has said.
However, Mohammad Sharifullah will remain in custody on charges of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, US magistrate judge William Fitzpatrick stated in a federal court on Monday.
During an address to Congress last week, US President Donald Trump described Sharifullah as “the top terrorist responsible” for the suicide bombing outside the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul amid the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan.
However, FBI Special Agent Seth Parker agreed with Sharifullah’s public defender on Monday that the alleged terrorist was not one of the top-level planners of the bombing, according to Fox News.
Parker alleged that Sharifullah was tasked by ISIS-K (Daesh) higher-ups with conducting reconnaissance ahead of the attack, including surveilling the road leading to Abbey Gate for the presence of roadblocks and law enforcement.
The hearing, the second for Sharifullah since he was brought on US soil last week, also revealed that the alleged ISIS-K member has claimed he was not present during the bombing and was unaware of the specifics of the target.
Parker, however, testified that Sharifullah was indeed an ISIS-K member with experience in helping carry out suicide bombings.
The Justice Department said last week that Sharifullah admitted to FBI agents during interviews that he conducted surveillance and later transported a suicide bomber near the Canadian embassy in Kabul ahead of the June 2016 attack.
Sharifullah also confessed to sharing instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons with two of the four gunmen responsible for the March 2024 ISIS-K attack on Crocus City Hall near Moscow, which killed approximately 130 people.
Parker testified that Sharifullah was living near Quetta, Pakistan, where he was raising livestock, including chickens, when he was apprehended.
If convicted, Sharifullah faces a maximum penalty of life in prison for his role in the Kabul Airport attack.
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Afghanistan received more than $11 billion in humanitarian aid over the past five years
Afghanistan has received more than $11 billion in humanitarian assistance since the Islamic Emirate returned to power in August 2021, according to United Nations figures cited by the BBC.
Despite the substantial aid, the gap between humanitarian needs and available funding remains wide, with the United Nations warning that millions of Afghans continue to require assistance.
The decline in international funding, a growing number of people in need and the return of millions of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries have added pressure to the country’s humanitarian situation.
Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis deepened following the collapse of the previous government in August 2021. The depreciation of the national currency, the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reductions in some international support programs further strained the economy and living conditions.
UN data shows that Afghanistan received about $5.2 billion in humanitarian assistance in 2021, followed by around $3.8 billion in 2022 and nearly $2 billion in 2023.
For 2024 and 2025, the United Nations appealed for more than $3 billion to address humanitarian needs in Afghanistan. However, funding fell short of the amounts requested.
The assistance has largely been directed toward food, healthcare, support for returnees and other urgent humanitarian needs.
The United Nations continues to classify Afghanistan as one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, stressing that sustained international support remains essential for millions of Afghans who continue to need assistance.
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Afghanistan expresses condolences over deadly Indonesia earthquake
The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) has expressed deep sorrow over a powerful earthquake that struck eastern Indonesia, killing at least 53 people and forcing around 5,000 others to evacuate.
A magnitude-7.7 earthquake struck Flores Island and surrounding areas on Saturday, blocking roads and triggering landslides, Indonesian authorities said.
In a statement, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs conveyed its sympathy and condolences to the government and people of Indonesia over the casualties caused by the earthquake.
It also wished a speedy recovery to those injured in the incident.
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Afghan commerce minister meets Uzbek deputy prime minister in Termez
Afghanistan’s Minister of Industry and Commerce, Nooruddin Azizi, met with Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Jamshed Khojaev in the city of Termez to discuss expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
The meeting, held on Saturday at the Termez Trade Center, focused on cooperation in the electricity, mining and agriculture sectors, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Industry and Commerce said in a statement.
Uzbek officials expressed interest in investing in various sectors in Afghanistan. The Afghan delegation welcomed the interest and emphasized its readiness to create the necessary conditions for expanding economic cooperation and joint investment.
Mohammad Yousuf Wafa, governor of Balkh, and Abdul Ghaffar Bahr, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Tashkent, also attended the meeting.
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