• Centcom underscores Pakistan’s role in bringing suspect to justice.
• Says both countries shared common interest in war on terrorism.
• At least 170 Afghans, 13 US troops died in Abbey Gate bombing.
  

KARACHI: The United States Central Command (US Centcom) has thanked Pakistan for helping in the arrest of the main suspect in the 2021 attack on Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, saying that Pakistan and the US share a commitment to combating terrorism. 

“We are grateful to Pakistan for its cooperation in the arrest of Sharifullah, the main suspect in the attack on the Abbey Gate of Kabul Airport in Afghanistan, and for its cooperation with the United States in bringing the suspect to justice,” read a post on US Centcom’s Urdu handle on X.

The post — by the body which is a unified combatant command of the US military responsible for overseeing operations, security cooperation, and strategic interests across the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia — reminded that US President Donald Trump had announced the arrest of the suspect during his address to a joint session of Congress.

Mohammad Sharifullah alias Jafar, a Daesh-Khorasan operative, was arrested by Pakistan on intelligence provided by America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), as reported by a news agency.

The terrorist, allegedly responsible for the deadly suicide attack that killed at least 170 Afghans as well as 13 US troops, has confessed to scouting out the route to the airport.

His arrest was announced by US President Trump who thanked the government of Pakistan for helping apprehend the “monster” and added that it was “a very huge day for the affected families. 

The US Centcom’s statement further underscored that Islamabad and Washington had a “common interest in the war on terrorism”.

Meanwhile, the terrorist, who has since been produced before a Virginia court, has also admitted to involvement in several other attacks, the Justice Department said, including the March 2024 Moscow Crocus City Hall attack, in which he said “he had shared instructions on how to use AK-style rifles and other weapons to would-be attackers” by video.