Ten family members, including seven children, were killed in a US mistake in Kabul.
The Pentagon does not consider the deadly airstrike of an American drone in Kabul, which mistakenly killed ten peaceful Afghans , as a violation of the law.
The corresponding statement, citing the results of the investigation, was announced by the US Air Force inspector Sami Said, according to the BBC.
“It was an honest mistake,” he said, pointing to “errors during execution, combined with a tendency to confirm and fail ties “that resulted in” sad civilian casualties “.
According to him, the investigators “did not reveal any violations of the law, in particular, the” law of war. “” This is not criminal behavior, accidental behavior, negligence, “Said added.
drone strike sincerely believed that they were targeting an “imminent threat” from the Islamic State to US forces and diplomatic personnel at Kabul airport.
A US airstrike on the Afghan capital on August 29 killed three adults, including a person working for a US aid group and seven children. The youngest of the murdered children was 2-year-old Sumaya, and the oldest was 12-year-old Farzad.
Shortly after the attack, a relative of the victims, Ramin Yusufi, said it was a “brutal attack” based on “false information.” “Why did they kill our family? Our children? They were so burned that we cannot identify their bodies, their faces,” he said.
The incident came days after Islamic State militants claimed responsibility for an explosion at Kabul airport, which killed at least 170 people, including 13 US troops.
US military stated that they had information about the preparation of the militants for a new attack. US intelligence focused on a white Toyota Corolla, which was supposed to have explosives in the cabin. However, according to Said, the security forces tracked down the wrong vehicle.
Those involved in the drone strike believed that the house was empty and did not notice the child who entered the target area two minutes before the missile was launched.
Saeed did not recommend disciplinary action, but said commanders should decide what measures to prosecute, if any, should be taken.
The Pentagon initially stated that the strike was aimed at to an Islamic State suicide bomber who posed an immediate threat to US-led troops at Kabul airport.
Following a preliminary investigation in September, the Pentagon admitted the airstrike was a “tragic mistake” and said it would pay compensation to the relatives of the victims .
