US President Donald Trump expressed gratitude to Pakistan for its role in the arrest of a key terrorist involved in the 2021 Kabul airport bombing, a deadly attack that claimed the lives of 13 American service members and around 170 Afghan civilians.
Speaking before a joint session of Congress, Trump made the announcement, stating: “Three and a half years ago, a [Daesh] terrorist killed 13 American service members and countless others in the Abbey Gate bombing. Tonight, I am pleased to announce that we have just apprehended the top terrorist responsible for that atrocity. And he is right now on his way here to face the swift sword of American justice.”
After revealing the arrest, Trump took a moment to thank the Pakistani government for its cooperation in the operation.
“I want to thank, especially, the Pakistani government for helping arrest this monster,” Trump said. “This was a very momentous day for the 13 families I got to know very well, whose children were murdered on that fateful day.”
The Abbey Gate bombing occurred in August 2021 during the chaotic US withdrawal from Afghanistan, which Trump once again criticized as a failure of the Biden administration.
“Not that they were withdrawing, but it was the way they withdrew,” Trump remarked. “Perhaps the most embarrassing moment in the history of our country.”
In a significant policy shift, the Trump administration recently approved $397 million for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jet fleet maintenance, reversing an earlier foreign aid freeze. The funds will be strictly allocated for counter-terrorism operations, with a US-monitored program in place to prevent use against India, according to a Reuters report.
Despite an executive order halting overseas funding, the US has granted approximately $5.3 billion in security-related exemptions, with Pakistan’s allocation being one of 243 exceptions.
