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Mohammad Sharifullah, identified by authorities as “Jafar,” faces legal proceedings today in the Eastern District of Virginia for his alleged role in the devastating Abbey Gate bombing. Investigators claim he conducted reconnaissance of the airport route for the suicide bomber who perpetrated the attack.

The tragic incident, which occurred during the tumultuous U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, resulted in the deaths of 13 American service members and more than 160 Afghan civilians. The suicide bomber, identified as Abdul Rehman, carried out the attack that claimed a total of 173 Afghan lives alongside the American casualties.

The circumstances leading to this tragedy began when American forces departed from Bagram Airfield in July, after maintaining a presence there for nearly two decades. The withdrawal occurred under peculiar circumstances, with U.S. forces cutting power and departing in the night without informing the Afghan base commander, who only discovered their absence more than two hours later.

Following this departure, the Taliban swiftly seized control of Bagram Air Base, located just 30 miles from Kabul, on August 15. The captured base contained significant military assets, including equipment, uniforms, rations, and various supplies. More critically, the Taliban’s takeover led to the release of thousands of prisoners held at the base’s detention facility.

Among those released was Abdul Rehman himself, who had been imprisoned at Bagram for four years before the Taliban freed him. In a concerning development, sources who spoke to The Gateway Pundit in 2021 revealed that U.S. military leadership had been aware of the bomber’s presence in the area but had reportedly prevented snipers from engaging the target.