Transfer of Mohammad Sharif to the United States: Washington’s Response to the Bloody Kabul Airport Attack
The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) announced the transfer of Mohammad Sharif, a senior member of the terrorist group ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K), to U.S. soil. Images of his transfer at the airport have also been released.
Weezha Roz-Kabul-Sharif, who was previously arrested by Pakistani security forces on charges of involvement in the deadly August 2021 attack on Kabul Airport, was implicated in the deaths of 13 U.S. military personnel and 169 Afghan civilians.
According to documents from the National Directorate of Security (NDS) under Afghanistan’s former government led by Ashraf Ghani, Sharif operating under the aliases “Jafar,” “Naser,” and “Ajmal”played a direct role in at least 29 suicide operations and other terrorist attacks, including assaults on the Afghan Presidential Palace and the U.S. Embassy in Kabul.
He was considered a close associate of Shahab al-Muhajir, the former leader of ISIS-K.
Sharif was first arrested by the NDS in August 2019 but escaped from Bagram Prison during the withdrawal of U.S. forces and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan (August 2021).
Security sources confirm that after his escape, he resumed terrorist activities from Pakistani soil.
Sharif’s transfer to the U.S. is described as a step toward prosecuting those responsible for attacks against U.S. interests.
Security experts believe this move could lead to an escalation of Western counter-terrorism operations against ISIS networks in the region.
The transfer comes as the U.S. recently announced plans to conduct a series of airstrikes targeting ISIS officials in Afghanistan and Syria.
Analysts assess that Sharif’s trial symbolizes the continuation of the West’s “shadow war” against Takfiri groups.
Weezha Roz
