A U.S. drone struck a vehicle packed with explosives in a residential area of Kabul on Sunday, preventing an imminent attack on the city’s airport, the Pentagon said. Potentially, it saved hundreds of lives. The only problem is what the people say they found after the strike was ten innocent people dead.
The Sunday strike hit a van and killed an interpreter, his wife, and small children, and a former Afghan soldier about to be married.
There are reports that a second strike killed the innocent family. Witnesses say there was one strike.
Journalist Emily Miller reports: “General McKenzie was involved in the drone strike hitting the interpreter. There is no way this is mere incompetence on the part of military command.” – American in touch with both special ops teams and the active military in Afghanistan
“General McKenzie was involved in the drone strike hitting the interpreter. There is no way this is mere incompetence on the part of military command.”
– American in touch with both special ops teams and the active military in Afghanistan— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) August 30, 2021
Some wonder if the WOKE general got the intel from the Taliban.
THE STORY
In an initial statement after the strike, U.S. Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said the strike had hit its intended target and that there were no indications of civilian casualties.
But in a subsequent statement, Urban said the Pentagon was aware of reports of civilian casualties and was investigating. ”We would be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life,” he said.
He said the U.S. strike “disrupted an imminent ISIS-K threat,” a reference to the Afghan affiliate of the militant Islamic State group, which claimed responsibility for Thursday’s deadly bombing on the outskirts of the Kabul airport. In the wake of that attack, the Pentagon launched an airstrike in eastern Afghanistan on Saturday that it said killed both the “facilitator” and “planner” of the bombing.
Urban said there were powerful secondary explosions from Sunday’s drone strike, which he said indicated a large amount of explosive materials inside the targeted vehicle. Those secondary explosions “may have caused additional casualties,” he said.
The interpreter’s family said there is no way they were involved with ISIS-K.
In Khwaja Burgha, members of Ahmadi’s family said there had been only one explosion and that the resulting fireball had partially burned a crimson Toyota SUV that was also in the driveway.
“We heard a loud bang, and the whole house shook,” said Abdul Khalil, the Ahmadis’ neighbor. One of the rooms in his house is adjacent to the Ahmadis’ driveway; the blast had dislodged large chunks of plaster from the wall.
It appears to be an errant strike.
Footage of “ISIS planners” that the U.S. killed in drone strike. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/JRyPnuYg4f
— www.anoncandanga.com🚨💣 (@anon_candanga) August 29, 2021
Zamaray Ahmadi. Former interpreter for the American troops in Afghanistan. He was killed in the U.S. drone strike. #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/Oa9cCXJXow
— www.anoncandanga.com🚨💣 (@anon_candanga) August 29, 2021
Drone strikes in Kabul. Are Afghans safe anywhere? #Afghanistan https://t.co/RGEp4g8IYY
— Yalda Hakim (@BBCYaldaHakim) August 30, 2021
The scenes reportedly don’t match what US CentCom is reporting:
U.S. CENTCOM are already citing several secondary explosions as responsible for civilian casualties from their Kabul air strike.
The scene doesn’t match this. Yes 1 vehicle is completely destroyed from strike, but the other is intact.
There’s little sign of any blast damage. https://t.co/da8P40ZbRZ pic.twitter.com/fCWsKCL3ok
— Alex Tiffin (@RespectIsVital) August 30, 2021
If they thought this family is ISIS-K, where did they get the info? The Taliban?
“General McKenzie was involved in the drone strike hitting the interpreter. There is no way this is mere incompetence on the part of military command.”
– American in touch with both special ops teams and the active military in Afghanistan— Emily Miller (@emilymiller) August 30, 2021
Witnesses say several #rockets were fired at #Kabul airport through this vehicle from the relevant of the fourth security area. pic.twitter.com/tWMjE9MZIt
— Bais Hayat (@BaisHayat) August 30, 2021
#KabulAirport: Rockets fired toward Kabul Airport, local reports say rockets were intercepted and exploded in the air dropping shrapnels on the ground… pic.twitter.com/mc4Nx7FFQL
— Rahul Upadhyay (@rahulrajnews) August 30, 2021
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