The US State Department has thanked the Government of Pakistan for its assistance in arresting the person responsible for killing 13 US service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.
“We extend our gratitude to the Government of Pakistan, we do, for their partnership in bringing Mohammad Sharifullah to justice,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said at a weekly press briefing in Washington on Thursday.
In his first address to Congress since resuming his presidency on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that the individual responsible for the 2021 Abbey Gate bombing had been apprehended with assistance from Pakistan.
The bombing, claimed by the banned militant group Islamic State (IS), occurred during the tumultuous US withdrawal from Afghanistan. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif later identified the arrested individual as Sharifullah, a high-ranking operational commander within the IS-KP faction.
“I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster,” the US president told Congress.
In reaction, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that the arrested terrorist was captured during an operation near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. He expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump for recognising and appreciating Pakistan’s contributions to counterterrorism efforts in the region.
PM Shehbaz emphasised Pakistan’s “longstanding commitment” to counterterrorism, stating that the country has “consistently worked” to prevent terrorists and militant groups from establishing “safe havens” to operate against others.
The US State Department spokesperson was asked if anybody from the US administration thanked Pakistan on an official level regarding the new arrest. He also asked whether the president was aware that the “most popular leader of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been in jail now for last three years” and “atrocities happening in the country.”
Bruce referred those to the Department of Justice for further information regarding the case. The accused has been extradited to the United States to face justice.
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“And we have – regarding Pakistan and the nature of our relationship, we have a common interest, obviously, in fighting terrorism, and the arrest of this terrorist also illustrated that US-Pakistan cooperation on counterterrorism remains vitally important.
When asked, she said that the government was reviewing all existing sanctions waivers that provide Iran any degree of economic or financial relief as Iraq sanctions waiver for Iran gas imports expires on March 8.
“We are urging the Iraqi government to eliminate its dependence on Iranian sources of energy as soon as possible, and welcome the Iraqi prime minister’s commitment to achieve energy independence.”
