New York: President Donald Trump thanked Pakistan for the capture of the “monster” responsible for the suicide bomb attack on US troops during the withdrawal from Afghanistan.
He announced during his address to the joint session of Congress on Tuesday, “We have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.”
He credited the government of Pakistan for helping arrest “this monster.”
US officials, according to media reports, identified the man captured as Mohammad Sharifullah.
The suicide bombing, he allegedly masterminded in 2021, killed 13 US military personnel and about 170 Afghans at the Kabul airport.
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel posted on X, “I can report that tonight the FBI, DOJ (Department of Justice), and CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) have extradited one of the terrorists responsible for the murder of the 13 American soldiers at Abbey Gate during the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal.”
“One step closer to justice for these American heroes and their families,” he added.
During his speech, Trump praised Patel for reorienting the FBI away from being weaponised against him and his political adversaries.
Patel and Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was also complimented by Trump, received prolonged applause from the members of Congress.
Trump criticised former President Joe Biden for the chaotic way the US withdrew from Afghanistan and asserted that it encouraged Russia’s President Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine.
“When Putin saw what happened, I guess he said, ‘Well, maybe this is my chance.’ That’s how bad it was,” he said.
Axios reported, quoting officials, that the CIA had been monitoring Sharifullah’s whereabouts and shared the information with Pakistan.
Islamabad sent an “elite unit” to nab him on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, it said.
Pakistan informed the US about his capture ten days ago, and Patel, CIA Director John Ratcliff, talked to Pakistani intelligence officials about it.
Axios said that US officials see Sharifullah’s capture as a sign that Pakistan was ready to engage with the Trump administration.
Biden had cold-shouldered Pakistan, which was seen as reluctant to cooperate in combatting terrorism.
(IANS)
