Pakistan Praises New Cooperation With US After Arresting ISIS Commander For Attacks At Kabul Airport

JAKARTA - Pakistan has announced an update on counterterrorism cooperation with Washington following the arrest of Mohammad Sharifullah for the 2021 attack on US troops at Kabul airport.

The statement on Wednesday, March 5, comes hours after US President Donald Trump thanked Pakistan for the arrest in his speech at Congress, saying Sharifullah was on his way to the US for trial.

FBI Director Kash Patel said Sharifullah would be in US custody.

"We will continue to partner closely with the United States in ensuring regional peace and stability," Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said.

Pakistan launched operations along Afghanistan's border to arrest Sharifullah, an Afghan national and the main commander of the Islamic State militant group Khorasan.

"We thank US President Donald Trump for acknowledging and appreciating Pakistan's role and support in counterterrorism efforts," continued Sharif.

Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, Ishaq Dar, also spoke with US national security adviser Mike Walsh on Tuesday, according to a statement from Pakistan's foreign office.

Dar reiterated that Pakistan hopes to build long-term and broad-based relations with the United States under the leadership of President Trump and his government.

The 2021 bombings at Kabul airport killed 170 Afghans and 13 US troops as they tried to help Americans and Afghans escape into chaos after the Taliban takeover.

The attack was claimed by ISIS-K, a branch of the Islamic State group in Afghanistan.

The US Department of Justice accused Sharifullah of "providing and conspiring to provide material and resource support" to the group.