CENTCOM Launches Inquiry Into Kabul Drone Strike That Killed 10 Civilians

The military claims the strike targeted ISIS-K, but a New York Times investigation found the target was an aid worker

US Central Command (CENTCOM) has launched an inquiry into the August 29th drone strike in Kabul after a video investigation from The New York Times found the strike targeted an aid worker instead of an ISIS-K member like the Pentagon claims.

“They will take into account all the available intelligence reporting, they’ll take into account video footage, subject matter expert analysis, interviews and, quite frankly, they’ll also factor in subsequent media reporting,” Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday.

The drone strike targeted a vehicle being driven by 43-year-old Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for a US-based NGO. The strike killed nine other members of the Ahmadi family, including seven children. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley described the strike as “righteous,” and the White House said it was “successful.”

The Pentagon claimed there were explosives in Ahmadi’s vehicle and that it thwarted an “imminent” attack on the Kabul airport. But a military analysis on the strike that was also reported by the Times found the Pentagon had no proof there were explosives in the car.

The slaughter of the Ahmadi family is typical of US drone strikes. In 2015, documents leaked by whistleblower Daniel Hale, who was recently sentenced to 45 months in prison, revealed that during a five-month period between 2012 and 2013, 90 percent of the people killed by US drones were civilians.

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.