Capture of suspected ISIS-K operative wasn't solely work of Trump, Biden officials say


Capture of suspected ISIS-K operative wasn

March 6, 2025, 6:04 PM CST By Ken Dilanian, Courtney Kube, Carol E. Lee and Andrea Mitchell Since President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday the surprise arrest of a man accused of taking part in the killing of 13 U.S. service members in Afghanistan, his top national security aides have repeatedly disparaged the Biden administration as either unwilling or unable to bring those responsible to justice. The attack, conducted by an ISIS-K suicide bomber, killed an estimated 170 Afghan civilians waiting outside Kabul airport near an entrance known as "Abbey Gate." The deaths were emblematic of the chaotic withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in 2021. Five former Biden administration officials, as well as a current U.S. official, say the capture of the suspected ISIS-K operative, Mohammad Sharifullah, was not solely the work of the Trump administration. They say it was aided by a yearslong joint intelligence effort by the United States and Pakistan targeting ISIS-K, the Afghan branch of the Islamic State, including Sharifullah in particular. “This didn’t just happen overnight,” a former senior Biden administration national security official said. “This is the culmination of efforts that were quite deliberate.” Asked about the claim, Brian Hughes, a National Security Council spokesman for the Trump administration, dismissed it. “This arrest and extradition was made possible because of the emphasis the Trump Administration placed on this case," he said in a statement. "Since January 20th, we have prioritized engagement with the Pakistani government on this case and provided the critical intelligence.”