ISIS-K Operative Sentenced to 20 Years for Abbey Gate Role

Mohammad Sharifullah, an operative for the Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham-Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on September 16, 2026, for his role in a nearly decade-long conspiracy to provide material support to the terrorist group. The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga in Alexandria, Virginia, following Sharifullah's April conviction on a single count of conspiracy to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. The case centered on Sharifullah's involvement in the August 26, 2021, bombing at Abbey Gate of Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan. During the chaotic final days of the U.S. military withdrawal, ISIS-K leadership tasked Sharifullah with scouting a route to the airport to confirm it was clear of Taliban checkpoints. Court evidence showed he traveled the route at approximately 2:00 p.m. and reported it clear to ISIS-K commanders. Hours later, at about 5:36 p.m., suicide bomber Abdul Rahman al-Logari detonated an explosive at the gate, killing 13 U.S. service members and approximately 160 civilians.