US Trial Begins for Suspect in Deadly Kabul Airport Attack

DID Press: A court in US state of Virginia has begun jury proceedings in the case of Mohammad Sharifullah, a suspect connected to the deadly Kabul Airport Attack (2021).

The case relates to the 2021 suicide bombing outside Kabul International Airport during the final phase of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, which killed 13 U.S. service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians.

According to the federal indictment, Sharifullah is accused of providing logistical support and assisting in reconnaissance for the suicide bomber, allegedly linked to the ISIS-Khorasan Province network.

His defense lawyer argued in court that parts of his early confessions were obtained under coercive conditions and fear of torture in Pakistan, and therefore should not be considered legally valid.

Prosecutors, however, say intelligence data and witness testimony indicate that he played a supporting role in facilitating the attack and was part of the operational network behind the bombing.