US Defense Secretary thanks Pakistan for capture of IS terrorist

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has offered thanks to the government of Pakistan for the capture of Afghanistan-based Islamic State (IS) terrorist leader Sharifullah alias Jafar. 

Talking to Fox News TV channel, US Defense Secretary said the US and Pakistan worked together to capture the mastermind of the Kabul airport attack. 

He said that the American Intelligence Agency provided the information and Pakistan captured the terrorist mastermind for which we are grateful to Pakistan. 

Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar received a call from US National Security Advisor Michael Waltz, who conveyed President Donald Trump's appreciation and thanks for Government of Pakistan's efforts in countering terrorism. Ishaq Dar congratulated the NSA on his assumption of office and reiterated that Pakistan looks forward to building on its longstanding and broad-based relationship with the United States under President Donald Trump and his Administration. He reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to continue its cooperation with the United States in the field of counter terrorism. 

Earlier, US President Trump said the person responsible for killing 13 US service members during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 had been arrested with the help of Pakistan and was now on his way to the United States to face justice.

The 2021 Abbey Gate bombing killed 13 US service members and approximately 170 Afghan civilians during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The militant Islamic State (IS) group had claimed responsibility for the killings.

Trump shared the news in his first address to Congress since returning to the White House for a second term. While he gave no further details, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X, identified the held terrorist as Sharifullah, a “top tier operational commander” of the militant IS-KP chapter.

 “Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity, and he is on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice,” the US president told the Congress. 

In a rare public gesture of appreciation, Trump thanked Islamabad for its role in the capture, saying: “I want to thank especially the government of Pakistan for helping arrest this monster.”

Reporter: Ahmed Mansoor