Kabul bombing suspect arrested: What it means for US-Pakistan relations

President Donald Trump revealed to Congress on Tuesday night that an Afghan national who was allegedly responsible for the deadly bombing at Kabul Airport was being detained with Pakistan’s assistance during his address to Congress.

Following the Taliban’s takeover of Kabul, US forces were assisting in the city’s evacuation.

Trump referred to the Kabul airport explosion as “the most embarrassing moment in our country’s history” in his first address to Congress after taking office for his second term.

“Tonight, I’m pleased to let you know that the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity has just been apprehended, and he is currently facing the swift sword of American justice.” The US president said on Monday night, “And I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for assisting in the arrest of this monster.”

Shehbaz Sharif, the prime minister of Pakistan, thanked Trump for “appreciating Pakistan’s role and support in counterterrorism efforts across the region,” according to a statement.

He confirmed that Mohammad Sharifullah, the leader of the ISIL affiliate in Khorasan Province (ISKP), was an Afghan national who had been taken prisoner during an operation in the border region of Pakistan and Afghanistan.

In a message on X, the social media platform, on Wednesday, Sharif wrote, “As is well known, Pakistan has always played a crucial role in counter terrorism efforts aimed at denying terrorists and militant groups the right to operate against any other country,” using a different spelling for the alleged bombing mastermind’s name.

In light of Pakistan Security Forces’ recent arrest of ISKP’s top tier operational commander Shareefullah, who is an…

The development comes a day after a suicide attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, in Pakistan’s northwestern province, claimed the lives of 12 civilians. At least four people were killed last week when a second suicide bomb went off at a mosque in the same province, with many people suspecting ISKP involvement.

What did the Kabul airport’s Abbey Gate bombing involve?

US authorities set an August 31 deadline for all American troops stationed in Afghanistan for the past 20 years as the Taliban took control of Kabul on August 15, 2021.

However, on August 26, a suicide bombing at the airport’s entrance point, known as Abbey Gate, caused the death of nearly 200 people, including 13 American soldiers, as thousands of Afghans sought refuge from Kabul.

A subsequent US investigation revealed that Abdul Rahman al-Logari, the bomber, had been a member of ISKP since 2016. After the Taliban seized control of the country in August 2021, he was one of the thousands of ISKP members who were freed.

US forces launched a drone strike in central Kabul three days after the Abbey Gate attack, allegedly aimed at an ISKP commander.

At least 10 civilians, including seven children, were killed by the missile, though. The US initially claimed to have successfully destroyed the target, but later acknowledged it and apologized.

13 American soldiers were among the 200 people killed in the suicide bombing attack at the Kabul airport on August 26, 2021.

How was Sharifullah detained, and who is he?

Prime Minister Sharif made no specifics about how the operation was carried out, despite the fact that the arrested person was an Afghan national.

According to a government source, the operation demonstrated “strong cooperation” between the US and Pakistani security forces in counterterrorism efforts.

The source further revealed that Sharifullah’s Pakistani security forces began tracking him after receiving US intelligence “a few days back.”

He was detained in a security operation that was exclusively conducted by Pakistani security forces in the late February, close to the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to the government source, the person was later extradited to the US for due process of law.

The source added that their anonymity and their lack of access to the conversation demonstrate that Pakistan’s position on Afghanistan’s rise to be a hotbed of terrorism is undisputed.

Pakistan has long criticized the Taliban government for limiting the activities of armed groups that attack Afghan soil. These accusations have been consistently refuted by the Afghan government.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe, a journalist in the US, first contacted General Asim Malik, the country’s intelligence chief, shortly after taking office.

Early on Wednesday morning, Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, arrived in the US. Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, gave an official confirmation of his arrival. He claimed that “Terrorist Jafar is formally in US custody.”

Thank you for your incredible leadership, @AGPamBondi and @John Ratcliffe, for bringing down the sword of justice that time for the American people. The FBI, DOJ, and CIA have a lot of people to thank.
Official US custody photo of Justice for Abby Gate-terrorist Jafar. twitter.com/EN1wjwjzCw

In a statement to the US Congress, President Donald Trump claimed that Pakistan assisted in the arrest of a person allegedly linked to the bombing of the Kabul airport in August 2021.

What will this arrest mean for US-Pakistan relations?

The relationship between Pakistan and China, which is Washington’s main geopolitical rival, has remained lukewarm in recent years as the US interest in the region declines and Pakistan’s ties to China grow.

Former US ambassador to Pakistan Maleeha Lodhi, however, thinks the operation shows that the two nations continue to cooperate effectively in counterterrorism.

She told Al Jazeera, “Military-to-military ties continue to be strong, which has long been the case in this roller-coaster relationship, despite the lack of engagement at the political level.”

This sentiment was shared by Qamar Cheema, an executive director of the Islamabad-based Sanober Institute and an expert on international affairs.

“The US views Afghanistan through a Pakistani lens, which is important. According to Pakistan, armed groups in Pakistan and the region are using illegal US-made weapons to carry out attacks there, he told Al Jazeera.

Both government representatives believe that regional stability must be maintained by working together. This operation demonstrates that the US government is clear about the importance of Pakistan, something that was less apparent under the previous Biden administration,” Cheema continued.

Lodhi, who previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to the UK and the UN, believes that the US-Pakistan relationship’s general needs to be renegotiated because it has been at a low point since the US’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

This most recent development demonstrates that cooperation has not found a broad foundation and continues in a narrow bandwidth. Although Pakistan is not on Trump’s list of foreign policy priorities, she said, “Trump’s arrest and his gratitude for Pakistan give me an opportunity to look at how the relationship can be rebuilt and redefined.”