The hybrid government in Pakistan grabbed the first opportunity that came its way to get into the good books of the Trump administration by handing over the mastermind of the suicide bombing at Abbey entrance gate of Kabul airport on August 26, 2021, that killed 13 US troops and 170 Afghan civilians. Amid thunderous applause by Congressmen, US President Donald Trump announced his capture and extradition by the Pakistan government.
Trump was addressing the US Congress on March 4. "I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice," he declared. Trump thanked Pakistan for arresting this "monster".
Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the US president for "acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan's role in counter-terrorism efforts across the region." He said the mastermind, Sharifullah, an Afghan national and a senior commander of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), was apprehended in an operation conducted on Pak-Afghan border.
Separately, the US National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, called Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar to convey gratitude from the US President for Pakistan's efforts in counter-terrorism. According to the US media, Mohammad Sharifullah was captured 10 days ago in a joint raid by the Pakistani Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Earlier, on a tip-off by CIA, Abdul Rehman al-Logari, another Afghan national and the suicide bomber responsible for the incident, was apprehended by Indian security agencies and handed over to CIA in 2017. Son of an Afghan merchant, Abdul Rehman was studying in a private engineering college on the outskirts of Delhi and was living in Lajpat Nagar. CIA had tipped off India's Research and Analysis Wing that Abdul Rehman, an ISKP member, was planning to stage suicide bombings in Delhi and other cities.
It is believed that on the disclosures of Abdul Rehman, several ISKP leaders were eliminated by CIA using drones. He remained lodged in the incarceration facility created by the US at Bagram airbase till he escaped after Taliban stormed the high security prison on August 15, 2021.
According to New York Times (March 5), among the first orders given by President Trump to director, CIA, John Ratcliffe, was for the arrest of those responsible for the attack. In a social media post, FBI director Kash Patel appreciated Sharifullah's extradition to the US and claimed the same as "one step closer to justice for these American heroes and their families".
To blunt Pakistan's narrative, Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban's spokesman, denied there were terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. He said the terrorist was arrested from Pakistan's soil. Mujahid asked the US to focus more on Pakistan in its search of ISKP hideouts.
ISKP has been carrying out attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries like Iran and Russia. In Afghanistan, ISKP is fighting a war of domination with Taliban. The assassination of Taliban minister Khalilur Rehman Haqqani last December in Afghanistan and Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, the head of seminary linked to the Taliban at Akora Khattak in Pakistan, last month are indicators of how the situation is unfolding. Sharifullah has confessed to the FBI that he had provided training videos to Moscow theatre attackers on how to use AK-47 rifles.
The United Nations Security Council realised the gravity of threat from 'Daesh' (ISIS/ISKP). In its report on January 31, 2025, it noted that the threat by 'Daesh' to international peace remained undiminished. The report warned there was risk of the group exploiting the security vacuum after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad government in Syria on December 8 last year.
Pakistan would encash its cooperation with the US in the instant case and seek support for its narrative that it was rather a victim of terrorism than sponsoring the same. Pakistan believes it would help in building a case against the interim Taliban government that it accuses of harbouring terrorists targeting Pakistan in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On the India front, it is too early for Pakistan to take risks with the Trump administration for its plans on Kashmir knowing well the US' relationship with India, and Trump being a transactional, unorthodox and unpredictable president. For now, Pakistan would like Trump to forget his Tweet against Pakistan of January 1, 2018, where he accused Pakistan of "lies and deceit".
Trump was addressing the US Congress on March 4. "I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice," he declared. Trump thanked Pakistan for arresting this "monster".
Pakistan prime minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the US president for "acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan's role in counter-terrorism efforts across the region." He said the mastermind, Sharifullah, an Afghan national and a senior commander of the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), was apprehended in an operation conducted on Pak-Afghan border.
Separately, the US National Security Adviser, Mike Waltz, called Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister Ishaq Dar to convey gratitude from the US President for Pakistan's efforts in counter-terrorism. According to the US media, Mohammad Sharifullah was captured 10 days ago in a joint raid by the Pakistani Intelligence and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
Earlier, on a tip-off by CIA, Abdul Rehman al-Logari, another Afghan national and the suicide bomber responsible for the incident, was apprehended by Indian security agencies and handed over to CIA in 2017. Son of an Afghan merchant, Abdul Rehman was studying in a private engineering college on the outskirts of Delhi and was living in Lajpat Nagar. CIA had tipped off India's Research and Analysis Wing that Abdul Rehman, an ISKP member, was planning to stage suicide bombings in Delhi and other cities.
It is believed that on the disclosures of Abdul Rehman, several ISKP leaders were eliminated by CIA using drones. He remained lodged in the incarceration facility created by the US at Bagram airbase till he escaped after Taliban stormed the high security prison on August 15, 2021.
According to New York Times (March 5), among the first orders given by President Trump to director, CIA, John Ratcliffe, was for the arrest of those responsible for the attack. In a social media post, FBI director Kash Patel appreciated Sharifullah's extradition to the US and claimed the same as "one step closer to justice for these American heroes and their families".
To blunt Pakistan's narrative, Zabiullah Mujahid, Taliban's spokesman, denied there were terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan. He said the terrorist was arrested from Pakistan's soil. Mujahid asked the US to focus more on Pakistan in its search of ISKP hideouts.
ISKP has been carrying out attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and other countries like Iran and Russia. In Afghanistan, ISKP is fighting a war of domination with Taliban. The assassination of Taliban minister Khalilur Rehman Haqqani last December in Afghanistan and Hamid-ul-Haq Haqqani, the head of seminary linked to the Taliban at Akora Khattak in Pakistan, last month are indicators of how the situation is unfolding. Sharifullah has confessed to the FBI that he had provided training videos to Moscow theatre attackers on how to use AK-47 rifles.
The United Nations Security Council realised the gravity of threat from 'Daesh' (ISIS/ISKP). In its report on January 31, 2025, it noted that the threat by 'Daesh' to international peace remained undiminished. The report warned there was risk of the group exploiting the security vacuum after the fall of Bashar Al-Assad government in Syria on December 8 last year.
Pakistan would encash its cooperation with the US in the instant case and seek support for its narrative that it was rather a victim of terrorism than sponsoring the same. Pakistan believes it would help in building a case against the interim Taliban government that it accuses of harbouring terrorists targeting Pakistan in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On the India front, it is too early for Pakistan to take risks with the Trump administration for its plans on Kashmir knowing well the US' relationship with India, and Trump being a transactional, unorthodox and unpredictable president. For now, Pakistan would like Trump to forget his Tweet against Pakistan of January 1, 2018, where he accused Pakistan of "lies and deceit".
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com.)
