A man convicted of providing material support to the Islamic State in connection with the deadly Abbey Gate bombing has been sentenced to 20 years in prison. The 2021 attack killed 13 U.S. service members during the Biden administration’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Mohammed Sharifullah, an alleged member of ISIS-K, the Islamic State’s regional affiliate, was convicted in April on a conspiracy charge tied to the suicide bombing at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.
“Sharifullah spent nearly a decade at the heart of a horrific campaign of terror, providing critical support for attacks against civilians around the world and, ultimately, contributed to the deaths of 13 U.S. servicemembers and dozens of others at Abbey Gate,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg said. “Today’s sentence holds him accountable for the blood on his hands. The United States will pursue, capture, and bring to justice anyone, anywhere in the world, who takes part in the killing of our servicemembers or citizens.”
Jurors deadlocked during the trial over whether any deaths at the airport “resulted from” the conspiracy. Had they reached a unanimous decision on that question, Sharifullah could have received a life sentence.
British and American security personnel maintain order among Afghan evacuees waiting to depart from Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul on Aug. 25, 2021. Mohammed Sharifullah, convicted of providing material support to the Islamic State, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for his role in the deadly Abbey Gate suicide bombing during the 2021 U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan. (Marcus Lam/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images)
More than 160 Afghans and 13 U.S. military service members died on Aug. 26, 2021, when a lone suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device near Abbey Gate, an airport entrance where American forces were carrying out evacuation operations.
The U.S. military withdrawal concluded several days later, after the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan.
Mark Schmitz, the father of Marine Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, who was killed in the attack, told Fox News that the 20-year sentence was “certainly not enough time for somebody who was involved in something as heinous as this.”
“The terrorist bombing took my son physically from me. They can never take his legacy as a human being,” he said.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said law enforcement had remained “steadfast in pursuing” Sharifullah and securing his prosecution on American soil.
“Our hearts remain with the families who lost loved ones that day,” Blanche wrote on X. “No sentence can undo their unimaginable loss, but we hope today brings some measure of justice.”
Afghans hold documents and wait outside Abbey Gate at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul during the chaotic 2021 U.S. evacuation. Many Afghan Christians and U.S. allies were among those seeking rescue. (Courtesy: Oklahoma Khorasan Church)
Evidence presented at trial showed that Sharifullah told the FBI he had surveilled a potential route for the suicide bomber to reach Abbey Gate during the final days of the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan.
According to an affidavit recounting his FBI interview, Sharifullah said ISIS-K members gave him a motorcycle, money for a cellphone and a SIM card, and instructions to create an account on a specific social media platform so he could communicate with them during the attack operation.
President Donald Trump, surrounded by family members of service members killed in the Abbey Gate attack in Afghanistan, speaks at an event marking the fourth anniversary of the bombing and signs a proclamation honoring the victims. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
“After making these preparations for the attack, Sharifullah was tasked with scouting a route near Hamid Karzai International Airport for an attacker,” the affidavit said. “Sharifullah conducted surveillance on a route, specifically checking for law enforcement and American or Taliban checkpoints.”
Prosecutors also presented evidence of several other ISIS-K attacks in Afghanistan in which Sharifullah admitted involvement.
President Donald Trump announced the capture of Sharifullah during a March 2025 address to a joint session of Congress.
“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 at the time to lawmakers.
News Outlet has reached out to the Justice Department for comment.
