Pakistan says its security forces arrested Sharifullah in counterterrorism operation

Sharifullah, a “wanted terrorist” accused of responsibility for a 2021 attack on US troops was apprehended in the Pakistan-Afghan border region

Representational photo. Undated file photo of Reuters shows a boy walking past Pakistan's national flag

Pakistani security forces arrested Mohammad Sharifullah, accused of responsibility for a 2021 attack on US troops, in a counter-terrorism operation along the border with neighbouring Afghanistan, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Wednesday.

"The wanted terrorist was apprehended in a successful operation conducted in the Pakistan-Afghan border region," Sharif said in a statement, adding that Sharifullah was a top commander for Islamic State Khorasan and an Afghan citizen.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump thanked Pakistan for the arrest, saying the person responsible for the bombing that killed 13 US service members during its withdrawal from Afghanistan was on his way to the United States to face justice.

Pakistan's role in the arrest was due to the renewal of counter-terrorism cooperation with the United States, a Pakistan security official told Reuters.

"Excellent cooperation has been established between Pakistan and President Trump's new government," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, and hailed wide ranging joint efforts on counter-terrorism.