Abbey Gate convict finally sentenced to 20 years for role in deadly Kabul blast

WASHINGTON, DC: Four years after the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, the man accused of helping violent groups prepare the route for the Abbey Gate attack has received his sentence.

Mohammed Sharifullah was convicted in connection with the 2021 attack that killed 13 American service members and more than 160 Afghans.

A federal judge, on Wednesday, September 16, sentenced him to 20 years in prison, closing one chapter of a case that remained tied to the final, deadly days of America’s military presence in the country.

Mohammed Sharifullah sentenced after long wait

Sharifullah, also known as 'Jafar', was sentenced after being convicted in April on a conspiracy charge involving material support for I**S-K in Afghanistan.

During the trial, jurors were unable to reach a unanimous decision on whether deaths at the airport had resulted from the conspiracy.

That unresolved question prevented Sharifullah from facing a possible life sentence on the more serious charge tied to the deaths.

Evidence presented in court included statements Sharifullah made during FBI interviews.

He admitted surveilling a possible route to Abbey Gate for the attacker during the final days of the US military’s presence.

According to an affidavit cited during the proceedings, violent group's members supplied him with material for the operation.

The materials were allegedly intended to help him communicate with the group during the planned operation.

The affidavit stated that Sharifullah was then tasked with scouting a route near the airport and checking for law-enforcement officers, American troops and Taliban checkpoints.

The August 26, 2021, bombing occurred at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul.

A lone attacker detonated an improvised explosive device near Abbey Gate, one of the airport’s entrances.

The blast killed 13 US service members and more than 160 Afghans.

President Trump assured justice

Sharifullah’s capture was announced by President Donald Trump during an address to a joint session of Congress in March 2025.

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

The arrest brought Sharifullah into US custody nearly four years after the Abbey Gate attack.

His prosecution focused on his alleged assistance to the group and his role in preparing the operation, rather than a finding that he personally detonated the bomb.

Sharifullah did not take the stand or make a statement before sentencing.

Relatives of the 13 US servicemembers killed at Abbey Gate addressed the court about the impact of their losses.

His lawyers requested a 17-year sentence, while prosecutors asked for 20 years. Judge Anthony Trenga ultimately imposed the maximum 20-year term.