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Updated September 19th, 2021 at 09:27 IST

Kabul drone strike: Survivors say 'apology not enough', demand justice from US

A day after Pentagon admitted that a drone strike in Kabul killed ten Afghan civilians including 7 children, survivors have said that an apology was not enough.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
Kabul
Image: AP  | Image:self
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A day after the Pentagon admitted that a drone strike in Kabul killed ten Afghan civilians including seven children, survivors have said that an apology was not enough. On August 29, the US military made an “over the horizon” strike on vehicles that it said contained “explosives” and “suicide bombers”. Later, an investigation into the matter found no evidence regarding the same, prompting Washington to apologise for the “tragic mistake”. In addendum, multiple media reports disclosed that the driver of the targeted vehicle, who survived the strike,  was a longtime employee at a US Humanitarian organization. 

Meanwhile, survivors of the attack-the Ahmadi family- have called for action against the US military officials. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Aimal Ahmadi, whose three-year-old daughter Malika was killed after the missile struck his elder brother’s car, has demanded for an investigation into the matter. Asserting that his family was “innocent” and “did not make any mistake”, he demanded justice for the US. Notably, Ahmadi lost 10 members of his family in the planned projectile attack. 

Pentagon apologises for drone strike

“I am now convinced that as many as 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in that strike. Moreover, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or were a direct threat to U.S. forces," said McKenzie, who oversaw U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, including a final evacuation of U.S. forces and 120,000 civilians from Kabul.

Earlier, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby reiterated that the hellfire missile launched off a reaper drone on Afghanistan's target was "necessary to prevent an attack on US troops". While Kirby had told reporters at the White House briefing on US-commanded drone strike that an ISIS-K planner and a facilitator were neutralised in the strike, on-ground reporters found that the US drone strike killed ten members of one Ahmadi family, including seven children, of whom there were two 2-year-old girls [Malika and Sumaya] as victims of US’ “imminent” airstrike. “We are not ISIS or Daesh and this was a family home -- where my brothers lived with their families. This, was an ordinary family," a statement of a relative of the victim's family read.

Image: AP 

 

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Published September 19th, 2021 at 09:27 IST

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