US admits mistakenly killing seven boys in drone strike in Afghanistan

The Pentagon on Friday withdrew its description of a drone strike that killed several people in Afghanistan last month, saying an examination revealed that only civilians were killed in the attack and not an Islamic State extremist, as originally believed.

“The attack was a tragic mistake”Marine General Frank McKenzie, head of the United States Central Command, told a Pentagon press conference, reproduced by AFP.

Days after the August 29 attack, Pentagon officials claimed it was carried out properly, despite the fact that 10 civilians were killed, including seven children.

The media questioned this version of events, reporting that the driver of the attacked vehicle was a long-time employee of a US aid organization, in addition to noting the lack of evidence to support the Pentagon’s claim that the vehicle contained explosives.

McKenzie said the vehicle was attacked “in the sincere belief” that it represented an imminent threat.

“I am now convinced that up to 10 civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in this attack,” McKenzie said.

“In addition, we now believe that it is unlikely that the vehicle and the deceased were associated with ISIS-K, or a direct threat to US forces,” he added, referring to the subsidiary of the ISIS group in Afghanistan.

McKenzie he apologized for the mistake and said the United States is exploring the possibility of pay compensation to the families of the victims.

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters two days after the attack that it was a “justified” attack and that at least one of those killed was a “facilitator” of the Afghan branch of ISIS, which had killed 169 Afghan civilians and 13 American servicemen in a suicide bombing on August 26 at Kabul airport.

Following McKenzie’s remarks, Milley expressed regret. “It is a horrible war tragedy and it is heartbreaking,” Milley told reporters traveling with him to Europe. “We are committed to being fully transparent about this incident.”

“In a dynamic, high-threat environment, the commanders on the ground had the appropriate authority and had reasonable certainty that the target was valid, but upon further analysis after the attack, our conclusion is that innocent civilians have been killed, “he added.

LM