The U.S. has announced a reward of up to $10 million for information on leader of terrorist organisation ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) Sanaullah Ghafari and those responsible for last year’s militant attack on the Kabul international airport that killed at least 185 people.
The U.S. Department of Rewards for Justice (RFJ) issued notifications to this effect on February 7.
“Rewards for Justice is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on ISIS-K leader Shahab al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah Ghafari,” it said.
The reward was also for “information on those responsible for the August 26, 2021 terrorist attack at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan”. The RFJ said that born in 1994 in Afghanistan, Ghafari is the current leader of the ISIS-K terrorist organisation and is responsible for approving all ISIS-K operations throughout Afghanistan and arranging funding to conduct operations.
ISIS-K, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organisation, had claimed responsibility for the Kabul airport attack that killed at least 185 people, including 13 U.S. service members supporting evacuation operations, it said.
In June 2020, ISIS core leadership appointed al-Muhajir, also known as Sanaullah Ghafari, to be the leader of ISIS-K.
“An ISIS communiqué announcing his appointment described al-Muhajir as an experienced military leader and one of ISIS-K’s ‘urban lions’ in Kabul who has been involved in guerrilla operations and the planning of suicide and complex attacks,” it said in the notification.
“Reward up to $10 million! Sanaullah Ghafari is the current leader of the ISIS-K terrorist organisation. Report information to RFJ via Signal, Telegram, WhatsApp, or our Tor-based tips line — help bring this terrorist to justice,” RFJ also said in a tweet on February 7.
A suicide bomber and gunmen attacked the airport as the United States and other governments undertook large-scale evacuation efforts of their citizens and vulnerable Afghans. More than 150 people, including 18 U.S. service members, were injured, it said.
Chaos enveloped Kabul after Afghanistan’s government collapsed and the Taliban seized control on August 14.
The Taliban insurgents stormed across the country, capturing all major cities in a matter of days, two weeks before the U.S. was set to complete its troop withdrawal after a costly two-decade war.