August 2021 Kabul drone strike
Part of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021),
2021 Afghanistan attacks,
Drone strikes in Afghanistan
U.S. military footage of the drone strike
LocationKabul, Afghanistan
Date29 August 2021 (2021-08-29)
16:53 (UTC+04:30)
Attack type
Drone strike
Victims10 civilians killed, including 7 children and Zemari Ahmadi
Perpetrators United States Central Command (United States Armed Forces)

On 29 August 2021, an unmanned drone attack by the United States killed 10 civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan, including 7 children. The U.S. initially said that the vehicle targeted in the strike had visited an IS safe house and that there had been a number of secondary explosions, implying there had been explosives at the scene. Eyewitnesses and later independent investigations disproved this. Three weeks later the U.S. confirmed that the target of the strike was a Toyota Corolla carrying aid workers and that only civilians had been killed in the strike. No U.S. personnel faced disciplinary action for the attack.[1]

Background

The attack occurred soon after the Fall of Kabul that led to the end of the War in Afghanistan that lasted from 2001 to 2021. In the days after the Fall of Kabul, mass civilian evacuations took place at Hamid Karzai International Airport. During these evacuations, the airport was attacked by a suicide bomber, which killed at least 183 people.

U.S. forces believed that subsequent attacks from ISIS were imminent, and through a series of erroneous intelligence decisions, linked a white 1996 Toyota Corolla and its driver, Zemari Ahmadi, to a terrorist plot. In actuality, Ahmadi was a worker for Nutrition and Education International, a California-based aid group.[1]

Attack and Aftermath

The day of the attack, Ahmadi ran errands for his employer including picking up a laptop and delivering water. When he stopped at a compound erroneously believed to be an ISIS safe house, six Reaper drones surrounded the compound. At 4:53 PM, a single Hellfire missile was launched, killing 7 children and 3 adults. The attack was conducted by the Over-the-Horizon (OTH) Strike Cell group of the U.S. Central Command.[1]

The United States military initially denied the allegations, with almost everything senior defense officials asserted in the weeks after the drone strike turning out to be false. Later it acknowledged the attack as a mistake after reviewing footage that showed three children coming to greet Ahmadi at his sedan before they were killed.[2]

On 17 September 2021, General Kenneth McKenzie accepted responsibility for the killings.[3]

On 15 October 2021, the Pentagon offered unspecified amounts of monetary compensation to the families of the victims as well as pledged help relocating to the United States. Condolence payments for deaths caused by the American military have varied widely in recent years; in fiscal year 2019 the Pentagon offered 71 such payments to victims in Afghanistan and Iraq ranging from $131 to $35,000.[4]

On 13 December 2021, the Pentagon was again widely criticized after it stated that no U.S. personnel would face disciplinary action as a result of the drone strike. The decision was made by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the recommendation of two top military commanders.[5]

On 20 January 2022, a group of 50 U.S. legislators submitted a letter to President Joe Biden, calling for a review of military practices. They stated that "in too many instances, U.S. drone strikes have instead led to unintended and deadly consequences – killing civilians and increasing anger towards the United States". The August 2021 Kabul drone strike was called "emblematic of this systemic failure that has persisted across decades and administrations".[6]

On 27 January 2022, Secretary Austin addressed civilian casualties in drone strikes in a two-page directive in which he asked his department for a plan on the matter within 90 days.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Schmitt, Eric (21 September 2021). "A Botched Drone Strike in Kabul Started With the Wrong Car". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. ↑ Schmitt, Eric; Cooper, Helene (17 September 2021). "Pentagon acknowledges Aug. 29 drone strike in Afghanistan was a tragic mistake that killed 10 civilians". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  3. ↑ "General Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr. Commander of U.S. Central Command and Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby Hold a Press Briefing, SEPT. 17, 2021", U.S. Central Command.
  4. ↑ Schmitt, Eric (16 October 2021). "U.S. Pledges to Pay Family of Those Killed in Botched Kabul Drone Strike". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. ↑ Schmitt, Eric (13 December 2021). "No U.S. Troops Will Be Punished for Deadly Kabul Strike, Pentagon Chief Decides". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  6. ↑ PDF version of the letter on warren.senate.gov.
  7. ↑ "US defence chief orders military to better protect civilians", Al Jazeera, 27 January 2022.
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