U.S. trial opens in Kabul airport bombing case as defence claims “wrong man”

Trial of a Kabul airport bombing suspect opens in the United States, with defence denying involvement and prosecutors outlining alleged ISIS links.

The trial of Mohammad Sharifullah, accused of aiding the deadly Kabul airport bombing, has begun in Virginia, with his lawyer arguing the U.S. has detained the wrong person.

Defence attorney Jeremy Commons said Sharifullah had no role in planning the attack and may have given a “false confession” under pressure while in custody.

Prosecutors, however, said the suspect admitted links to ISIS-K and had supported militant activities prior to the bombing.

The attack, carried out during the chaotic U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, killed 13 U.S. troops and around 160 Afghan civilians.

U.S. authorities have said the suicide bombing was executed by an ISIS-K operative identified as Abdul Rahman al-Logari, who had been released from prison shortly before the attack.

Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, was arrested in Pakistan and transferred to the United States, where he faces charges of reconnaissance and financial support for a designated terrorist organisation.

The Kabul airport bombing remains one of the deadliest incidents during the final phase of the U.S. withdrawal, highlighting security failures and the threat posed by ISIS-K.

The blast targeted crowds gathered at the airport gates seeking evacuation, amid Taliban control of the city and limited international security coordination.

U.S. investigators also linked Sharifullah to the 2024 ISIS attack on a concert hall in Moscow, alleging he provided training to militants involved.

Authorities say such connections point to broader transnational networks operated by ISIS affiliates beyond Afghanistan. The trial, expected to last about a week, is being heard before a 12-member jury.

According to reporting by The Washington Post, the defence argued that Pakistani authorities may have pressured the suspect into confessing.

Commons also suggested the possibility of internal complicity, claiming the attack could have involved extremist elements aligned with Taliban who were responsible for airport security at the time.

Prosecutor John Gibbs rejected those claims, saying Sharifullah had expressed intent to target U.S. forces and had acknowledged joining ISIS-K in 2016.

He quoted the suspect as saying militants aimed to find and kill “crusaders,” referring to U.S. troops deployed after the September 11 attacks.

The case is likely to test competing narratives around one of the most significant attacks of the Afghanistan war’s final days, with implications for accountability and counterterrorism efforts.

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