KABUL, Afghanistan—The Green Trend Movement, led by former Vice President Amrullah Saleh, has claimed that Sharifullah, a senior ISIS commander suspected of orchestrating the deadly 2021 Kabul airport bombing, was previously imprisoned by Afghanistan’s former government but later freed by the Taliban after they seized power.
The Green Trend said Sharifullah was originally arrested in July 2019 by the National Directorate of Security (NDS) under the previous Afghan government and remained in custody until the fall of Kabul in August 2021.
“The Taliban released him after regaining power,” the movement said in a post on X, calling him ‘a terrorist with a complex past.’
Sharifullah was detained last week near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in a joint operation involving Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the CIA, before being transferred to U.S. custody, Pakistani officials confirmed.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the suspect is an Afghan national, though further details on his background remain unclear.
The Green Trend Movement accused Pakistan of orchestrating the arrest as part of a calculated strategy, arguing that each player in the scenario benefits the United States secures a high-profile ISIS arrest, Pakistan strengthens its international standing as a counterterrorism ally, and Taliban evade scrutiny for their role in Sharifullah’s release.
Saleh, the former vice president, described the arrest as ‘an intelligence ploy’ and claimed it was ‘a minor move orchestrated for a major headline by Pakistan’s ISI.’
The group further criticized the Biden administration, stating that rather than holding the Taliban accountable for releasing Sharifullah in August 2021, Washington has continued to send billions of dollars in aid to Afghanistan.
The Green Trend Movement alleged that Pakistan remains a master of strategic deception, adept at shaping narratives to its advantage while playing a double game with the West.
Despite questions surrounding Sharifullah’s movements after his release, his reappearance and capture highlight the shifting geopolitical dynamics of counterterrorism operations in the region.
