US Admits Strike In Kabul Killed 10 Civilians, Not IS Militants
Mumbai: A top general admitted the US made a “mistake” in a drone strike against suspected Islamic State militants in Kabul, killing 10 civilians including children instead during the frenzied final days of the US pullout from Afghanistan last month.
US Central Command Commander General Frank McKenzie briefed reporters on the results of the investigation into the August 29 strike. The commander said it was “unlikely that those killed in the vehicle and drone strikes were linked to ISIS-K or were a direct threat to the US military”.
He said, however, that the strike should be considered in the context of the ground situation at Hamid Karzai International Airport after the ISIS-led attack that killed 13 soldiers, sailors and sailors and more than 100 civilians. In addition, a substantial intelligence body had indicated that another attack was imminent.
General McKenzie said that after thoroughly reviewing the findings of the investigation and supporting analysis, he was convinced that 10 civilians, including seven children, were tragically killed in that drone strike.
“It was a mistake, and I offer my sincere apologies. As the combat commander, I am fully responsible for this attack and this tragic outcome,” he told reporters at a Pentagon news conference.
He said,“Furthermore, we now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicles and casualties were linked to ISIS-K or a direct threat to the US military. I express my deepest condolences to the families and friends of those killed. The attack was carried out with the belief that it would avert an imminent threat to our military and people safe at the airport.”
General McKenzie said that 48 hours before the attack, sensitive intelligence indicated that the complex was being used by ISIS-K planners to facilitate future attacks.
“We were also receiving several reports indicating multiple methods of attack, planned by ISIS-K to simultaneously by ISIS-K would attempt to harm our forces, with rockets, suicide explosive vests, and vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices,” he said.
“36 hours prior to the strike, our leaders at the airport and in the strike cell received over 60 separate intelligence inputs relating to impending threats, with some corroborating and some conflicting with events observed from our UAVs flying above Kabul throughout the day,” the commander of the US Central Command added.
Giving a detailed account of the strike, Gen McKenzie said the investigation now concludes that the strike was a tragic mistake.
“First, I will stress, this was not a rushed strike. The strike cell followed and observed this vehicle and its occupants for eight hours while cross-checking what they were seeing with all available intelligence to develop a reasonable certainty of the imminent threat that this vehicle posed to our forces, he said.
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