Afghan ISIS-K Operative Found Guilty of Terrorist Support, Including Bombing That Killed 13 US Troops

A federal jury convicted Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah on April 29 for participating in a nine-year conspiracy to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia.

Sharifullah was a member of the Afghan terrorist organization ISIS-K.

Prosecutors said he acted as a scout and lookout on Aug. 26, 2021, particularly in the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing.

On that day, U.S. forces were helping with an evacuation taking place at the airport in Kabul.

According to evidence presented at trial, ISIS-K leaders had Sharifullah check a route to Hamid Karzai International Airport to make sure it was clear of Taliban checkpoints.

ISIS-K operative Abdul Rahman al-Logari, whom Sharifullah knew previously from their time together in an Afghan prison, then detonated a body-worn suicide bomb at Abbey Gate where thousands of civilians were gathered for the evacuation.

The bombing killed 13 U.S. military service members and approximately 160 civilians, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Sharifullah admitted to FBI special agents that he helped prepare for that attack. He told other ISIS-K members that the attacker’s route was clear and that he would not be detected.

He also conducted surveillance on June 20, 2016, for an ISIS-K suicide bomber who detonated a bomb that targeted security guards at the Canadian embassy in Kabul, said authorities.

Sharifullah participated in over a dozen additional ISIS-K attacks from 2016 through to his eventual apprehension in 2025. His roles included providing surveillance for attacks, transporting suicide bombers, transporting and cleaning weaponry, communicating messages within the terrorist groups, and taking video recording for ISIS-K propaganda, the U.S. Attorney Office said.

Sharifullah faces up to 20 years in prison.

A federal district court judge will determine his sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, the U.S. District Attorney Office said.

According to U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.), who serves on the Senate Armed Services committee, Sharifullah was released from prison two weeks before the Abbey Gate bombing. Soon after he was released, ISIS members contacted him for assistance.

On March 22, 2024, a group of ISIS-K gunmen attacked Crocus City Hall near Moscow, Russia that killed about 130 people. Sharifullah told FBI agents that he worked with ISIS-K when he worked with the would-be gunmen on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons.