Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday called on the US Air Force to conduct a 45-day review of the August 29 drone strike in Kabul that killed Zemari Ahmadi, a member of the US humanitarian group, and nine operatives. of his family – including seven children – but none of the planned ISIS-K targets.
The Pentagon admitted on Friday that the attack killed innocent civilians and that it was not a “fair strike” that prevented an Islamic State bombing plot, as it reported. ‘initially claimed.
Austin tasked Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall with selecting a senior officer “to study to what extent policies, procedures or targeting mechanisms may need to be changed in the future,” Kirby said.
The review “will also consider what levels of accountability might be appropriate and, if so, at what level,” he said.
Kirby said the decision to launch the Hellfire missile that killed Ahmadi was made by a “strike cell commander” in Kabul.
The tragic error further marred the departure of the Biden administration from Afghanistan after nearly 20 years of war. Some allied nations learned of the Aug. 31 withdrawal deadline from news reports and the Taliban’s swift takeover of the country sparked a deadly rush to Kabul airport. Hundreds of US citizens and thousands of Afghans at risk remained stranded, despite assurances from President Biden.
Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth McKenzie Jr., commander of the US Central Command, said on Friday that civilians “were tragically killed” in the strike a day before the latest US evacuation flights from Kabul.
The Pentagon initially said the strike was a successful mission to prevent another bombing of Kabul airport after 13 US servicemen and at least 169 Afghans were killed in an alleged ISIS suicide bombing on August 26.
General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strongly defended the drone strike three days after it occurred, saying “the procedures were properly followed and it was a fair strike. ”.
Ahmadi worked for 14 years as a technical engineer in Afghanistan for the Nutrition and Education International charity in Pasadena, California, which feeds hungry Afghans. He had a pending application to relocate to the United States as a refugee.
The Pentagon announced on Friday that it was considering financial compensation for Ahmadi’s family. Relatives have said in interviews that they still want to leave Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and settle in the United States.
The US military separately said it killed two suspected ISIS members in eastern Afghanistan on August 27 – although the Biden administration refused to release their names.
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