Afghan national is on trial for suspected role in 2021 Kabul airport bombing

Justice DepartmentAfghan national is on trial for suspected role in 2021 Kabul airport bombingMohammad Sharifullah was charged with providing material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization. More than 180 people died in the attack.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00Mohammad Sharifullah, alleged co-conspirator in the Abbey Gate bombing in Afghanistan, is apprehended and extradited in March 2025.@FBIDirectorKash via XShareAdd NBC News to GoogleApril 20, 2026, 6:13 PM EDTBy Gary Grumbach and Alexandra BacallaoALEXANDRIA, Va. — An Afghan national went on trial Monday in federal court on accusations he played a key role in the 2021 suicide bombing at a Kabul airport that killed more than 180 people, including 13 U.S. service members during the chaotic U.S withdrawal from Afghanistan. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Mohammad Sharifullah, known as “Jafar," is charged with one count of providing and conspiring to provide material support and resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization — “ISIS-K” — resulting in death. He has pleaded not guilty. A jury was chosen Monday and began hearing opening statements and witness testimony. If convicted, Sharifullah could spend the rest of his life behind bars. On Aug. 26, 2021, U.S. and other coalition forces were conducting an evacuation operation at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, and “Abbey Gate” was the main entry point for the operation. Thousands of civilians swarmed, hoping to evacuate the country due to fears of the Taliban’s rise in power.At approximately 5:36 p.m., ISIS-K member Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated a body-worn bomb.The bombing area at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport, before the blast occurred, in Kabul, Afghanistan, in Aug. 2021.U.S. Central Command / AP fileProsecutors said that in FBI interviews after waiving his Miranda rights, Sharifullah admitted to helping prepare...