Key facts
- Mohammad Sharifullah was sentenced to 20 years in prison for providing material support to the Islamic State group.
- Sharifullah was convicted in April by a federal jury in Virginia.
- Jurors could not reach a consensus on Sharifullah's responsibility for the August 26, 2021, Kabul airport bombing.
- Prosecutors stated Sharifullah scouted a route to Hamid Karzai International Airport.
- US district judge Anthony Trenga called Sharifullah a "dedicated terrorist."
- Victim impact statements were heard from parents of U.S. service members killed in the attack.
An Islamic State group member was sentenced Wednesday to 20 years in prison for aiding the terrorist organization that claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at the Kabul airport in 2021. Mohammad Sharifullah was convicted in April by a federal jury in Virginia of providing material support to the IS affiliate known as Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). However, the jury could not reach a unanimous decision on whether he bore direct responsibility for the attack that killed 13 U.S. service members and approximately 160 Afghans during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal.
Prosecutors stated Sharifullah's role involved scouting a route to Hamid Karzai International Airport. US district judge Anthony Trenga imposed the maximum sentence, describing Sharifullah as a “dedicated terrorist” who expressed no remorse for the “unfathomable” grief caused by the attack. Victim impact statements were delivered by several parents of the U.S. service members who died in the bombing.
Sharifullah's defense attorneys argued that prosecutors failed to present evidence directly linking him to the airport bombing beyond his own statements during FBI questioning, suggesting he may have said what he thought agents wanted to hear due to fear of torture. Prosecutors, however, contended that Sharifullah's actions were driven by hate towards Americans, citing his pledge of allegiance to ISKP from his teenage years and involvement in other attacks.