A member of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for providing support to the terrorist organization.
What happened
The sentencing is related to a suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed 13 US service members and around 160 Afghans five years ago. The convicted individual, Mohammad Sharifullah, was found guilty of providing material support to the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan, known as ISIS-K. However, the jury did not reach a unanimous decision on whether Sharifullah's actions directly contributed to the airport bombing.
Sharifullah's role in the attack involved scouting a route to the airport, and he was captured in 2025 by Pakistani intelligence and the CIA. He was extradited to the US and convicted in April. During the sentencing, victim impact statements were heard from parents of the US service members who were killed in the attack.
The judge described Sharifullah as a dedicated terrorist who showed no remorse for the harm caused. Sharifullah's lawyers argued that he was not an ISIS-K leader and that there was no evidence linking him to the airport bombing beyond his own statements, which they claimed were made under duress.
