Trump thanks Pakistan for arresting terrorist

WASHINGTON (Reuters): President Donald Trump on Tuesday expressed his gratitude to Pakistan for its assistance in apprehending a terrorist involved in the attack on US forces during the 2021 Afghanistan evacuation.

In his address to the joint session of Congress, Trump said, “I want to thank, especially, the Pakistani government for helping arrest this monster.” He continued, “I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity.”

According to Axios, an American news outlet, Pakistan recently acted on CIA intelligence and detained a senior ISIS commander linked to the deadly “Abbey Gate bombing” during the US evacuation from Afghanistan in 2021. US officials confirmed that Mohammad Sharifullah, a leader of an ISIS faction operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan, is believed to have orchestrated the August 26, 2021, attack that killed 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan citizens.

One US official with direct knowledge of the matter stated that Sharifullah, also known as “Jafar,” is being extradited to the US from Pakistan after being detained by the Pakistani Intelligence Service. Sharifullah is expected to arrive in the US on Wednesday, with an indictment against him set to be unsealed.

Reuters reported that Trump shared the news during address to Congress, but gave no further details. US Attorney General Pam Bondi said the person, whom she did not identify further, would be taken into US custody by the Justice Department, FBI and CIA.

“We hope this brings some closure to the families of the 13 American Heroes lost at Abbey Gate. We will continue to bring those who harm Americans to swift and decisive justice,” Bondi wrote on X.

US President Donald Trump took a victory lap in an address to Congress, drawing catcalls and interruptions from some Democratic lawmakers who held up signs and walked out mid-speech in protest. The partisan rancor was reflective of the tumult that has accompanied Trump’s first six weeks in office upending US foreign policy, igniting a trade war with close allies and slashing the federal workforce.

The primetime speech, his first to Congress since taking office on January 20, capped a second day of market turmoil after he imposed sweeping new tariffs against Mexico, Canada and China. “To my fellow citizens, America is back,” Trump began to a standing ovation from fellow Republicans. “Our country is on the verge of a comeback the likes of which the world has never witnessed, and perhaps will never witness again.”

Democrats held up signs with messages like “No King” and “This Is NOT Normal,” and around 30 Democrats had walked out mid-speech less than an hour into Trump’s remarks. One Texas congressman, Al Green, was ordered removed after he refused to sit down. “The chair now directs the sergeant at arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said after warning Democrats to maintain decorum.

Green, shaking his walking cane at Trump, appeared to be shouting that Trump did not win a mandate in November’s election after the president bragged about the Republicans’ victories. As he was led from the chamber, some Republicans sang, “Nah, nah, nah, nah, hey, hey, goodbye.” Trump, a political brawler by nature, appeared to revel in the disagreements. “I look at the Democrats in front of me, and I realize there is absolutely nothing I can say to make them happy or to make them stand or smile or applaud,” he said after Green’s ejection.

Trump spoke in the House of Representatives, where lawmakers huddled in fear for their lives a little over four years ago while a mob of Trump supporters ransacked the Capitol in an unsuccessful effort to overturn Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 victory over the then-incumbent Trump. The president praised billionaire businessman Elon Musk and his so-called Department of Government Efficiency, which has downsized more than 100,000 federal workers, cut billions of dollars in foreign aid and shuttered entire agencies.