Journalist reveals how Pakistan arrested ISIS suspect for which Trump thanked country

Journalist Iftikhar Firdous has revealed details of the arrest of Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) leader Mohammad Sharifullah whose handing over to the United States (US) made headlines with President Donald Trump thanking Pakistan.

Appearing on a private media outlet, Firdous said that Sharifullah’s name came to light after Pakistani intelligence agencies interrogated Adil Panjsheri, who was responsible for the bombing at Kabul University in 2020.

“Pakistani intelligence conducted the operation after Americans provided information about Sharifullah’s whereabouts,” he added. To a question about US forces’ involvement in the on-ground action, Firdous said that the operation was “purely conducted” by Pakistani intelligence.

He claimed that more than 20 countries provided intelligence for the arrest of 48 terrorists, but intelligence on Sharifullah was provided by the US alone.

The 48 terror suspects who were arrested by Pakistan, Firdous said, were involved in the Moscow attack, a twin suicide attack on Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani’s anniversary which killed over 100 people, and the attack on American soldiers at Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport during the final days of the US troop withdrawal from the country in 2021.

When asked if Sharifullah was arrested from Afghanistan or Balochistan, Firdous said that the terrorist was held in central Balochistan, whereas others were arrested over the course of seven months from different areas.

Speaking to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump had thanked Pakistan for its role in arresting the alleged mastermind behind the 2021 Kabul Airport bombing, Sharifuulah, also known as Jafar.

“Three and a half years ago, ISIS terrorists killed 13 American service members and many others during the Abbey Gate bombing. Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is now on his way to face American justice. I especially want to thank the Government of Pakistan for helping to arrest this monster,” Trump had said while announcing the arrest and imminent extradition of the suspect.

On August 26, 2021, a suicide bombing at Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the final days of the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan killed 13 American soldiers and at least 113 Afghan civilians. Islamic State-Khorasan ISIS-K had claimed responsibility for the attack.

According to media reports, suspect Sharifullah was produced in a Virginia courtroom Wednesday for trial. Sharifullah was told that if proven guilty, he would face lifetime imprisonment.