The United States has praised Pakistan for its role in helping to arrest Mohammad Sharifullah, a key figure involved in the deadly Kabul airport bombing in August 2021. The bombing occurred during the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan after the Taliban’s takeover, killing nearly 200 people, including 13 American soldiers.
President Donald Trump announced the arrest in his address to Congress, thanking Pakistan for its critical assistance in apprehending the suspected mastermind of the attack. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that Sharifullah, a commander of the ISIL-Khorasan Province (ISKP), was captured in an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
While Pakistan has long been a key player in counterterrorism efforts, tensions between the US and Pakistan have simmered in recent years, largely due to Pakistan’s increasing ties with China and its strained relationship with the Taliban. Despite these geopolitical complexities, experts highlight that military-to-military cooperation remains strong, underscoring the importance of US-Pakistan collaboration on counterterrorism.
However, analysts, including former Pakistani ambassador Maleeha Lodhi, suggest that while this operation signals strong cooperation, broader US-Pakistan relations are still in need of a reset, following the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. Although the arrest is a positive sign, it reflects a narrow cooperation that has yet to establish a broader basis for sustained engagement.
In the wake of the Kabul attack, Sharifullah’s arrest represents a continued commitment from both nations to combat terrorism and maintain regional stability, though the future of their bilateral relationship remains uncertain.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/3/5/kabul-bombing-suspect-arrested-what-it-means-for-us-pakistan-relations