Trial begins for Afghan charged in bombing at Kabul airport

U.S. authorities have wrongfully charged an alleged Islamic State militant in connection with the deadly 2021 Kabul airport bombing, according to defense attorneys as the high-profile terrorism trial opened Monday in Virginia.

Mohammad Sharifullah stands accused of scouting the suicide bomber’s route to the airport before the attack that killed nearly 200 people, including 13 U.S. service members, during America’s chaotic military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The U.S. government got the wrong man,” defense attorney Geremy Kamens told jurors during opening statements at the federal courthouse in Alexandria. “That is why we are proud to represent Mohammad Sharifullah in this trial.”

Prosecutors paint a different picture, alleging Sharifullah was a committed member of ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s regional branch operating in Afghanistan. Justice Department prosecutor John Gibbs cited Sharifullah’s own words to a journalist about killing American “crusaders” who had invaded Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

“The feeling was just to catch the crusaders and kill them,” Sharifullah reportedly told the journalist, according to Gibbs.

The defendant, also known as Jafar, told FBI interrogators that he had joined ISIS-K around 2016. While denying a planning role in the Kabul airport bombing, he allegedly admitted to having done “a lot of other things” for the terrorist organization.

Sharifullah faces one count of providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization resulting in death. If convicted, he could receive a life sentence. The trial is expected to last approximately one week.

The bombing at Abbey Gate occurred on August 26, 2021, as U.S. forces were conducting a massive evacuation operation following the Taliban’s rapid takeover of Afghanistan. The suicide attack killed approximately 160 Afghan civilians alongside the 13 American service members, marking one of the deadliest incidents of the U.S. military’s final days in the country.

A subsequent investigation by U.S. Central Command identified the bomber as Abdul Rahman al-Logari, an Islamic State militant who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban. According to an FBI affidavit, Sharifullah recognized al-Logari as someone he had previously known while incarcerated.

The defense is challenging the prosecution’s narrative, suggesting that Sharifullah provided a false confession while under duress in Pakistani custody before being transferred to U.S. authorities.

“The Pakistanis wanted him to confess, and their intelligence service tortures people,” Kamens told jurors, suggesting that the airport bombing was more likely an “inside job” facilitated by Taliban extremists who controlled security at the airport that day.

Former President Donald Trump announced Sharifullah’s capture during his State of the Union address in March 2025, highlighting it as a major counterterrorism achievement. Sharifullah arrived in the U.S. a day after that announcement to face prosecution.

The case carries significant political undertones. The Abbey Gate bombing became a focal point of criticism against the Biden administration’s handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, with Trump repeatedly condemning his predecessor’s role in what many viewed as a chaotic end to America’s longest war.

Adding further complexity to the proceedings, one prosecutor originally assigned to the case, Michael Ben’Ary, was fired by the Justice Department last year after being criticized by a right-wing commentator over his work during the Biden administration. His removal was reportedly part of a broader purge of Justice Department officials deemed insufficiently loyal to the Trump administration.

Beyond the Kabul bombing, prosecutors have linked Sharifullah to other ISIS-K attacks. The FBI alleges he provided firearms training instructions to ISIS-K members who later carried out a March 2024 attack at a Moscow concert hall that killed approximately 140 people.

The trial continues with twelve jurors and three alternates hearing evidence in what promises to be a closely watched case connecting international terrorism, U.S. foreign policy, and the aftermath of America’s controversial withdrawal from Afghanistan.