Death of civilians in a strike in Kabul: no sanctions against US soldiers

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The Pentagon announced Monday that there was “insufficient evidence to hold personal responsibility” against the US military involved in the strike that mistakenly killed ten civilians on August 29 in Kabul.

US soldiers involved in a drone strike that killed 10 civilians including seven children in Kabul at the end of August, during the chaotic withdrawal of troops from the airport, will not be punished, the Pentagon announced on Monday.

“There were not sufficiently solid elements to retain personal responsibilities”, justified the spokesman of the Pentagon John Kirby. “What has happened is a dysfunction of the decision-making and execution process, and it is not the result of negligence, fault or bad command.” added the spokesperson.

This strike took place on August 29, on the eve of the effective departure of the last American soldier from Kabul airport, after several days of immense confusion caused by the rapid takeover of the Taliban in Kabul, putting an end to the most long war in the history of the United States.

The US military, then informed of a possible attack by the Islamic State on the evacuation operations near the airport, had decided to target what it believed to be a car filled with explosives. Surrounding this white Toyota vehicle were in fact present Ezmarai Ahmadi, an Afghan who had worked for an American NGO, Nutrition and Education International, as well as nine members of his family, including seven children.

Compensation

The non-sanction decision announced on Monday was taken by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin after a report by two senior officials, General Kenneth McKenzie and General Richard Clarke. The first is the head of Centcom, the military region that includes Afghanistan. The second is the chief of special operations. Neither officer had issued a recommendation for individual sanctions, John Kirby said Monday.

The US Minister of Defense had offered his “sincere condolences” and “apologies” for this blunder.

The Pentagon has promised to pay compensation to Afghans who worked for this NGO and their families, and to help them leave the country, but the list of beneficiaries has not yet been finalized, according to Pentagon officials. “We want to make sure that we do it in the safest and most responsible way, so that we are not sure that it benefits the right people, and only them,” spokesman John Kirby said on Monday.

With AFP