A US federal jury convicted an Afghan man Wednesday of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization, in a case connected to the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport that killed at least 170 Afghans and 13 American troops.

The jury deadlocked on charges directly linking Mohammad Sharifullah to the bombing deaths. The trial took place in a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia, on the outskirts of Washington.

Who is Mohammad Sharifullah and what was he convicted of?

Mohammad Sharifullah, also known as Jafar, is a member of the Islamic State Khorasan branch operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was convicted of conspiracy to provide material support to a terrorist organization.

The jury found him guilty on that charge but could not reach a verdict on his alleged direct role in the 2021 airport bombing.

What was Sharifullah’s alleged role in the Kabul airport attack?

Prosecutors said Sharifullah scouted the route to Kabul airport that the suicide bomber later used to reach packed crowds attempting to flee the country.

The bombing occurred days after the Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021. The United States was in the final days of a chaotic evacuation of tens of thousands of Afghans who had rushed to the airport seeking flights out.

Sharifullah was arrested by Pakistani authorities and extradited to the United States in March 2025. He now faces up to 20 years in prison following his conviction on the conspiracy charge.

What other attacks was Sharifullah accused of involvement in?

US authorities said Sharifullah was involved in a number of Islamic State Khorasan attacks between 2016 and his arrest in 2025. These included a June 2016 suicide bombing targeting Nepali security guards protecting the Canadian embassy in Kabul, in which he was accused of conducting surveillance and transporting the bomber to the site.

He was also accused of providing weapons instructions to the gunmen who attacked Crocus City Hall near Moscow in March 2024.

What was the 2021 Kabul airport attack?

The August 2021 bombing at Kabul airport was one of the deadliest single attacks of the entire Afghan war. It struck as tens of thousands of people crowded the airport gates, hoping to board evacuation flights after the Taliban took Kabul.

The United States withdrew its last troops from Afghanistan that same month, ending more than two decades of military presence in the country.