Trial Begins for Afghan in 2021 Kabul Airport Bombing

In Alexandria, Virginia, the federal trial of Mohammad Sharifullah, an Afghan national accused of aiding the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul's Hamid Karzai International Airport, began on Monday with opening statements from prosecutors and defense attorneys. Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, faces one count of providing and conspiring to provide material support to the Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, resulting in death. He has pleaded not guilty and could face life in prison if convicted.

The bombing occurred on August 26, 2021, at Abbey Gate, a key entry point during the U.S.-led evacuation operation as American forces withdrew from Afghanistan after two decades of war. A suicide bomber, identified by U.S. Central Command as ISIS-K member Abdul Rahman al-Logari, detonated an explosive device amid crowds of civilians seeking to flee the country, killing approximately 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members, including 11 Marines, one Navy sailor and one Army soldier. The attack marked one of the deadliest incidents for U.S. forces in the conflict's final days.

Prosecutors, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney John Gibbs, alleged that Sharifullah played a direct role in the...