By Levina

Kash Patel, director of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, released a photo of the arrival in the United States of Mohammad Sharifullah, one of the planners of the deadly suicide attack on American soldiers at Kabul airport in August 2021. Patel said he arrived in the United States last night and will be handed over to “American justice.”

Taliban and Amrullah Saleh who both are usually at each other’s neck have for the first time agreed that Pakistan has tricked America once again. Its very possible that Pakistan expects America will take back its weapons from Taliban in return for a few favours. Just like the $400 million for F-16s, Pakistan might soon get some more deals behind the doors.

US President Donald Trump announced Sharifullah‘s arrest in his first speech to Congress on Tuesday night. After that, Kash Patel announced his extradition to the United States. Trump said that Mohammad Sharif was arrested with the help of Pakistan and thanked the country for its help in his arrest. Pakistan erupted in a celebration.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif said that Mohammad Sharifullah is an Afghan citizen who was arrested during an operation on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.The arrest of the mastermind of the deadly attack at Kabul airport (Aug 2021) highlights Pakistan’s “importance in the fight against terrorism“, according to Pakistani officials. Irony of the statement would make anyone chuckle.

From the Taliban’s perspective, the arrest of the mastermind of the suicide attack at Kabul airport means the existence of ISIS sanctuaries in Pakistan

Taliban’s reaction to Islamabad-Washington cooperation: Pakistan uses ISIS as a tool

In response to Pakistan’s arrest of the perpetrator of the Kabul airport attack and his handover to the United States, the Taliban spokesman stated that this indicates the existence of ISIS sanctuaries on Pakistani soil. Zabihullah Mujahid accused Pakistan of using ISIS as a tool.

Hamdullah Fitrat, the Taliban’s deputy spokesman, also stressed that the arrest of the ISIS member in Pakistan is proof that the country has become a training center and sanctuary for ISIS. He added that the move also shows that ISIS is no longer present in Afghanistan.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid also made serious accusations against Pakistan. In an interview with Ariana News, he claimed that ISIS centers and sanctuaries are located in the Pakistani province of Balochistan and that the group operates with the support of the Pakistani military.

The deadly 2020 Kabul airport attack, had killed 13 US soldiers and more than 170 Afghan civilians. After Trump thanked Pakistan for helping in arresting Sharifullah, Deputy Prime Minister of Pakistan in a statement supported the retrieval of American weapons from the Taliban in a telephone conversation with the Pakistani National Security Advisor. Since some time now pakistani officials had been complaining to Taliban that American weapons are being used by TTP and Baloch groups against Pakistani forces.

This comes at a time when relations between the Taliban and Pakistan are extremely tense. The two sides have been engaged in a clash at Torkham for the past few days. The Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa witnessed a massive attack by militants on March 4. Bannu Cantonment came under attack by JaF men, that lead to the death of 5 soldiers including 2 SSG commandos; 32 civilians were injured and 6 killed. Pakistani officials once again pointed the finger of blame at the Taliban.

Amrullah Saleh: Another clever trick by Pakistan

Amrullah Saleh, Ex NSA of Afghanistan, a figure opposed to the Taliban, wrote on his X page in response to the arrest of the mastermind of the Kabul airport attack : “Another clever trick. Small move for a big headline. Good for the ISi. This (trick) worked again.”

The Green Trend website affiliated with Saleh wrote that the person identified as the main suspect in the Abbey Gate suicide attack has a complicated past. According to the Green Trend, Mohammad Sharifullah was arrested by the Afghan National Security Forces in July 2019. However, when the Taliban took control of Kabul, they released him from prison, so that, according to Saleh, he could plan the August 26 suicide attack at Kabul airport.

Saleh wrote that Pakistan handed over Sharifullah to the United States on February 28.

“In Pakistan, Sharifullah was effectively “recycled”—a calculated move by Pakistani authorities who, on February 28, 2025, handed him over to the United States. This transfer provided a convenient headline for President Trump’s address to Congress on March 5, 2025, casting Pakistan as a cooperative ally in the fight against terrorism”.

The Green Trend led by Saleh has said that instead of asking the Taliban why it released him on August 16, 2021, the Biden administration provided billions of dollars in aid to the group from September 2021 to December 2024, while the Taliban claimed on April 10, 2023, that he had been killed.

Saleh says Pakistan, “a master of strategic deception, has once again demonstrated its ability to manipulate narratives to its advantage.” What is remarkable, according to Saleh, is how the US falls into this trap “time and time again,” prioritizing short-term victories over deeper reckoning with the forces at play