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US troops said Friday that as many as 10 civilians were killed in a US airstrike in Kabul, Afghanistan.
In addition, the strike does not appear to have killed anyone associated with the terrorist group ISIS-K, US Central Army commander General Frank Mackenzie told reporters at a press conference.
The exposure was announced by a survey directed by Mackenzie after the August 29 strike. The investigation was conducted in retaliation for a terrorist bombing that killed 13 US military personnel at an airport in Kabul.
U.S. military leaders repeatedly described the strike as a successful attack, even though the deceased’s family claimed that there was no connection between them and the ISIS sect.
“At this point, I think the procedure was correct and a legitimate strike,” General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said in Washington on September 1.
That stance changed on Friday when Mackenzie revealed the results of the investigation. He discovered that as many as 10 civilians, including up to 7 children, were “tragicly killed in the strike.”
“In addition, we are currently assessing that vehicles and fatalities are unlikely to have been associated with ISIS-K or a direct threat to the U.S. military,” he added. “We would like to express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the murdered people. This strike was carried out with a serious belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our troops and airport evacuees. That was a mistake. I sincerely apologize. As a combat commander, I take full responsibility for the strike and this tragic consequence. “
The strike was rushed because U.S. military officials believed there was an imminent threat to U.S. military personnel who were holding Kabul’s airport to facilitate the evacuation of U.S. citizens and others from Afghanistan at the time. The strike was based on information reporting a threat from the white Toyota Corolla, but investigations found that the military had attacked a non-threatening car.
“We attacked on the theory of reasonable certainty. Perhaps future strikes in Afghanistan will be under higher standards,” Mackenzie said.
Emar Ahmadhi said she translated it into an American company for three years starting in 2011. Said Immediately after the strike, the Wall Street Journal reported that his relatives’ five children and five adults were killed in the strike.
Ahmadhi said he was looking for a special immigrant visa to be given to those who supported the US military during the decades of war in Afghanistan. He added that he “don’t care anymore” about the visa before he hangs up.
Photos and video footage from the scene showed the white Toyota shattered and the red SUV next to it burned by the explosion.
The U.S. Central Command initially stated that the strike was followed by other explosions.[ed] There was a large amount of explosives inside, which could have caused additional casualties. “
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Zachary Stieber covers US news, including politics and proceedings. He started in The Epoch Times as a metro reporter for New York City.
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