A member of the Islamic State (IS) group has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for helping the organization, which claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at Kabul airport five years ago. The attack, which occurred during the chaotic U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan, killed 13 American service members and approximately 160 Afghans. Mohammad Sharifullah, a defendant in the case, was convicted in April by a federal jury in Virginia of providing material support to the IS affiliate known as ISIS-K. However, the jury could not reach a consensus on whether Sharifullah was directly responsible for the airport bombing that took place on August 26, 2021. The attack happened as U.S. troops were evacuating from the Hamid Karzai International Airport when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near Abbey Gate, a main entry point. Prosecutors argued that Sharifullah had scouted a route to the airport for the attack. He received the maximum sentence for his one-count conviction in an international terrorism case, which was highlighted by former President Donald Trump during a speech to Congress last year. Sharifullah did not testify at his trial and did not address the court before the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga, who described him as a "dedicated terrorist" who showed no remorse for the suffering he caused. During the sentencing hearing, several parents of U.S. service members shared victim impact statements, describing how the attack devastated their families. Mark Schmitz of Missouri, whose son, Lance Cpl. Jared Schmitz, was killed in the bombing, asked Sharifullah to look at him while speaking about his son’s life and legacy. Schmitz said, “They may have taken his life, but they'll never take his legacy.” Prosecutors had requested a 20-year sentence, while Sharifullah's lawyers asked for 17 years. They argued that Sharifullah was never an ISIS-K leader and had not been convicted of any actions directly related to the airport bombing. The defense noted that the government’s theory linking him to the attack was not proven in court. Prosecutors claimed that Sharifullah had pledged allegiance to ISIS-K as a teenager and was motivated by hatred toward Americans. They also said he was involved in other attacks, including the March 2024 assault on a Moscow concert hall that killed about 140 people. However, defense attorneys argued that the only evidence linking Sharifullah to the Kabul bombing was his own statements during FBI questioning. They suggested he may have provided information he thought the FBI wanted to hear, possibly out of fear of being tortured if held in Pakistan. A U.S. Central Command review found that the actual bomber, Abdul Rahman al-Logari, had been released from an Afghan prison by the Taliban. An FBI affidavit stated that Sharifullah had recognized al-Logari as someone he had known during his time in prison.