Who is Sharifullah Jafar, ISKP Member?
Sharifullah, known as Jafar, joined the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in 2016. According to sources, he played an active role in 21 terrorist attacks, particularly in Kabul. A few days ago, the Pakistani government arrested Jafar and, with U.S. cooperation, transferred him to the United States.
Reports indicate that he was a close associate of Shahab al-Muhajir, the leader of ISKP, who orchestrated the 2021 suicide bombing at Kabul airport.
This ISKp member was first arrested by Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) in September 2019 and was imprisoned at Bagram. However, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in 2021, he, like other prisoners, was released.
Sources report that Jafar was incarcerated alongside Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, a senior commander of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). He was also connected to Rahimullah Muslim Dost, a former ISIS-K member who later distanced himself from the group.
It is said that Muslim Dost was close to Abdul Haq Wasiq, the Taliban’s intelligence chief. Both Muslim Dost and Wasiq were previously detained at Guantanamo prison.
After the Taliban took over Afghanistan, prisoners from Bagram and Pul-e-Charkhi were released. Reports suggest that Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, under orders from Rahimullah Muslim Dost, transferred over a hundred ISKP members to Kunar province.
According to Pakistani media, following Sharifullah Jafar’s arrest by the Pakistani government, the Taliban appear concerned and are attempting to downplay his ties to this matter.
This comes as, in a recent UN Security Council meeting on Afghanistan, the U.S. representative expressed concerns about the activities of terrorist groups, including ISIS, TTP, Al-Qaeda, and others.
