US Arrests Top Terrorist Behind Afghanistan Bombing That Killed 13 US Service Members

President Donald Trump made the announcement during his joint address to Congress on March 4.

U.S. Marines secure Abbey Gate after a suicide bomber detonated an explosion, outside Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Aug. 15, 2021. Department of Defense via AP

The United States has apprehended the top terrorist behind the bombing that killed 13 U.S. service members during the 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.

President Donald Trump made the announcement during his joint address to Congress on March 4.

The bombing occurred at Abbey Gate outside the airport in the Afghan capital of Kabul.

“Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” Trump said.

U.S. officials have identified the senior member of the ISIS branch based in Afghanistan as Muhammad Sharifullah.

Sharifullah was turned over to U.S. authorities by Pakistan and was being brought to the United States for prosecution, Trump said.

FBI Director Kash Patel commented on the extradition in a post on social media platform X.

“As President Trump just announced, I can report that tonight the FBI, DOJ, and CIA have extradited one of the terrorists responsible for the murder of the 13 American soldiers at Abbey Gate during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal,” he said. “One step closer to justice for these American heroes and their families.”

The 13 U.S. service members who were killed in the bombing were Marine Lance Cpl. Rylee J. McCollum, Marine Cpl. Humberto A. Sanchez, Marine Staff Sgt. Darin T. Hoover, Marine Cpl. Hunter Lopez, Marine Sgt. Johanny Rosario Pichardo, Marine Sgt. Nicole L. Gee, Marine Lance Cpl. David L. Espinoza, Marine Cpl. Daegan W. Page, Navy Corpsman Maxton W. Soviak, Marine Lance Cpl. Kareem M. Nikoui, Marine Lance Cpl. Dylan R. Merola, Marine Lance Cpl. Jared M. Schmitz, and Army Staff Sgt. Ryan C. Knauss.

During his speech, Trump criticized how the withdrawal occurred. Though he was not opposed to U.S. forces withdrawing in the first place, he called the withdrawal “the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”

During his first administration, Trump made a deal with the Taliban that was condition-based and would lead to the withdrawal of U.S. forces.

The United States was in Afghanistan between October 2001 and August 2021.

The Trump administration has pledged to hold accountable those behind the botched withdrawal.