Trump slams Biden over death of Afghan civilians in airstrike, which jumped 330% under his watch

Former President Donald Trump issued a statement condemning President Joe Biden after the military admitted killing 10 Afghan civilians in a drone strike in late August. However, the number of civilians killed in US-led airstrikes in Afghanistan increased by 330% under the Trump administration.

The Pentagon had previously claimed that a drone strike on August 29 in Kabul targeted an activist affiliated with the extremist group ISIS-K. After media reports that the strike actually killed 10 civilians, including seven children, U.S. Central Command Marine Corps General Frank McKenzie admitted that it was a “mistake. tragic ”Friday.

Democrats and Republicans have criticized the failure of the military. Trump also released a statement on Friday, slamming the U.S. generals and Biden.

“It’s a shame that so many people have been killed because of our incompetent generals. The Biden administration wanted to show that they were tough guys after their surrender to the Taliban, which left many soldiers injured or dead and left Americans and the best military equipment in the world behind. Our country has never been so embarrassed or humiliated, “Trump said in a statement posted on Twitter by spokesman Liz Harrington.

Although politicians from all walks of life have criticized the failure of the military and the killing of 10 Afghan civilians, the number of civilian casualties increased dramatically during Trump’s tenure in the White House.

“The number of civilians killed by international airstrikes has increased by around 330% from 2016, the last full year of the Obama administration, to 2019, the most recent year for which full United Nations data is available. “, a December 2020 report from the Brown University War Project Costs Explained.

In 2019 alone, more than 700 civilians were killed in Afghanistan by airstrikes. The report explained that this was more than “any other year since the start of the war in 2001 and 2002”.

While the death toll among civilians in Afghanistan was significantly higher under Trump than under Biden, the former president’s main allies have criticized the current president. Some even called for his impeachment for the 10 civilian deaths.

“War crimes. #ImpeachBiden,” Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a staunch Trump supporter, tweeted on Friday, retweeting an article about civilian deaths.

“So the US drone strike didn’t kill any ISIS-K but killed 10 innocent civilians, including 7 children. Unbelievable,” tweeted Trump’s former White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. “The Biden administration is a sad and tragic mess and utter embarrassment on the world stage!”

News week contacted Trump’s press officials for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.