ISIS-K terrorist sentenced to 20 years in US prison for Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 US service members

Afghan national Mohammad Sharifullah was sentenced for his participation in a nearly decade-long conspiracy to provide material support and resources to ISIS-K, the Afghanistan-based branch of the Islamic State terror group. According to the Department of Justice, Sharifullah participated in more than a dozen terrorist attacks between 2016 and his apprehension in 2025.

“Sharifullah spent nearly a decade at the heart of a horrific campaign of terror, providing critical support for attacks against civilians around the world and, ultimately, contributed to the deaths of 13 US servicemembers and dozens of others at Abbey Gate,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg said.

“Today’s sentence holds him accountable for the blood on his hands,” Eisenberg added. “The United States will pursue, capture, and bring to justice anyone, anywhere in the world, who takes part in the killing of our servicemembers or citizens.”

On Aug. 26, 2021, US and coalition forces were conducting evacuation operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul as the United States withdrew from Afghanistan and the Taliban seized control of the country. Thousands of civilians had gathered at Abbey Gate hoping to be evacuated. According to federal prosecutors, ISIS-K leadership assigned Sharifullah to surveil a road leading to the airport and determine whether it was clear of Taliban checkpoints.

At approximately 2 pm, Sharifullah traveled the route and informed ISIS-K leadership that it was clear. Less than four hours later, at approximately 5:36 pm, ISIS-K suicide bomber Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated a body-worn explosive at Abbey Gate. Sharifullah knew al-Logari from the time the two had spent together in an Afghan prison, according to the DOJ.

The explosion killed 13 American service members and approximately 160 civilians.

Sharifullah's terrorist activities extended far beyond Abbey Gate. In June 2016, ISIS-K carried out a suicide bombing against Nepali security guards protecting the Canadian embassy in Kabul. Prosecutors said Sharifullah conducted surveillance ahead of the attack and later transported the suicide bomber to the target.

He also assisted ISIS-K terrorists responsible for the March 2024 massacre at Crocus City Hall outside Moscow. According to the DOJ, Sharifullah provided the attackers with instructions on using AK-style rifles and other weapons and communicated with them during the attack. More than 100 civilians were killed.

Federal authorities said Sharifullah played various operational roles across more than a dozen ISIS-K attacks, including surveilling potential targets, transporting suicide bombers, moving and cleaning weapons, relaying communications between ISIS-K members and recording explosions for terrorist propaganda.

“Sharifullah, an ISIS-K operative, pledged allegiance to a doctrine of hate and contributed to more than a dozen terrorist attacks — including the Abbey Gate bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghan civilians,” FBI Washington Field Office Assistant Director in Charge Darren Cox said.

“Over the years, he was a critical link in ISIS-K operations, relaying communications, conducting surveillance, and transporting suicide bombers,” Cox added. Sharifullah was apprehended in 2025 and brought to the United States to face prosecution.

“The bombing occurred in Afghanistan — thousands of miles from the United States — but that did not stop the FBI and our interagency partners from bringing Sharifullah here to face American justice,” FBI Counterterrorism Division Assistant Director Jarod Brown said. “No matter where you are, and no matter how long it takes, we remain steadfast in our duty to bring to justice those who have harmed our citizens.”