Crime & Justice
IS associate sentenced to 20 years for supporting the group behind the 2021 Kabul airport bombing
September 17, 2026 at 03:30 PM
Coverage
2 reports · 1 in Arabic, 1 in English · over 8 hours
A US federal judge sentenced Islamic State Khorasan Province member Mohammad Sharifullah to 20 years in prison on Wednesday for aiding the group that bombed Kabul airport in 2021.
- US District Judge Anthony Trenga imposed the maximum sentence for Sharifullah's single conviction for providing material support to ISKP.
- A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifullah in April but deadlocked on whether any deaths at the airport resulted from the conspiracy.
- Prosecutors said Sharifullah scouted a route to Hamid Karzai International Airport before the suicide bombing killed 13 US service members and about 160 Afghans in August 2021.
- Defense attorneys argued the government failed to prove Sharifullah participated in the Abbey Gate attack, noting he was never convicted of any bombing-related conduct.