Gorka Says Suspect in Kabul Airport Terror Attack Has Confessed to Other Massacres

Sebastian Gorka, senior counter-terrorism official at the National Security Council, provided further details on the arrest and transfer of Mohammad Sharifullah, known as 'Jafar', a senior commander of ISIS-Khorasan and the main perpetrator of the attack on American forces in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021. In an interview with Fox News, Gorka highlighted the role of the U.S. National Intelligence Agency, which was responsible for analyzing electronic communications that were shared with the Pakistani government. He added, 'We thank Pakistan for tracking and capturing this man.' Gorka praised a lesser-known, covert FBI team, stating that 'our brave team traveled to Islamabad on Saturday and spoke with Sharifullah. He not only confessed to the Kabul airport attack but also to other ISIS mass killings.' The news of this terrorist's arrest was first mentioned on the evening of Tuesday, March 14, 2023, during Donald Trump's speech at a joint session of Congress, while Mohammad Sharifullah was being transferred to the U.S. Trump described the three-and-a-half-year delay in his arrest as 'shameful' and stated that now this terrorist would be brought to justice. On the other hand, the Prime Minister of Pakistan considered the arrest of this terrorist a result of his country's counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States, stating hours after Trump's speech, 'We will continue our close cooperation with the United States in ensuring peace and stability in the region.' Gorka told Fox that from the early days of Trump's presidency, he had tasked his security officials with capturing the perpetrator of the attack on American soldiers, feeling responsible for the 13 American military personnel killed at the Kabul airport. He explained the importance of this mission by noting that he had written on his office whiteboard the first line as the mission to free American hostages and the second line as the letter J to signify the mission to capture Jafar. He also criticized the Biden administration for missing the three-and-a-half-year opportunity to arrest him, while Trump’s security and intelligence agencies managed to capture this 'monster' in just a few weeks. Gorka emphasized that the Trump administration had sent a clear message to terrorists worldwide, opening the gates of hell for them. Pamela Bondi, the U.S. Attorney General, referred to Mohammad Sharifullah as a 'demonic terrorist' who had planned the operation that led to the deaths of 13 brave U.S. soldiers. She stressed, 'Under Trump's strong leadership, terrorists like Mohammad Sharifullah have no safe havens, no second chances, and no enemy greater than the United States.' Kash Patel, the FBI Director, confirmed that Mohammad Sharifullah, known as 'Jafar', had clearly accepted responsibility for the massacre of 13 U.S. soldiers and is now in the custody of the judicial system. Patel stated, 'We will continue to hunt those who brutally killed our warriors, we will find all responsible parties and bring them to justice.' Eric Siebert, the regional prosecutor in Virginia, also stated after the charges were read to Mohammad Sharifullah, 'The beginning of this trial sends an unequivocal message: the United States' commitment to prosecuting all those who carry out terrorist attacks against us is unwavering.' He noted, 'Our message to those affected by these horrific crimes is that you are not forgotten. We will seek justice, no matter how long it takes.' Details of the ISIS-K attack on Kabul airport in 2021: On September 4, 2021, U.S. military forces were conducting evacuation operations at Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul, while thousands of civilians were gathered there. At around 5:36 PM local time, an ISIS-K member detonated a bomb he had concealed on his body, killing 13 U.S. soldiers and approximately 160 civilians. Sharifullah confessed in an interview with FBI agents that he was responsible for overseeing police and Taliban checkpoints to ensure that the terrorist attacker would not be identified. He also admitted that he had previously known the attacker and had planned this terrorist attack. Sharifullah has also confessed to involvement in other terrorist attacks.