Mohammad Sharifi-Allah, a member of ISIS, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Wednesday. He received this sentence for aiding the terrorist organization responsible for the suicide bombing at Kabul airport on August 26, 2021. In this bombing, 13 American service members and around 160 Afghans were killed.
Details of the Conviction and Sharifi-Allah's Role
A federal jury in Virginia convicted Sharifi-Allah in April for providing material support to the ISIS affiliate known as ISIS-K. However, the jury could not reach a consensus on whether he had any responsibility for the airport bombing. At the time of the bombing, Sharifi-Allah was identifying a route to Hamid Karzai International Airport.
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During the trial, Sharifi-Allah did not testify and refrained from speaking in court before sentencing. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga described Sharifi-Allah as a "committed terrorist" who showed no signs of remorse for the pain and suffering he had caused.
Victim Testimonies and Consequences of Sentencing
Judge Trenga heard impactful statements from several parents of American service members during sentencing. They took turns recalling their children's sacrifices and describing how this attack had shattered their families. Mark Schmitz from Missouri asked Sharifi-Allah to look at him and spoke about the life and death of his 20-year-old son, Lance Corporal Jared Schmitz.
Sharifi-Allah requested a 17-year sentence, while prosecutors sought 20 years. His lawyers claimed that he had never been a leader of ISIS-K and had not engaged in any conduct related to the airport bombing. They also stated that Sharifi-Allah, fearing torture in Pakistani custody, had said what he thought to FBI agents.
U.S. Central Command investigations revealed that the bomber at the Abbey Gate, Abdul Rahman al-Loghri, was a member of ISIS who had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban. Sharifi-Allah identified the bomber as an associate he had known during his time in prison.
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Source: abcnews.com
