Kabul strike: ‘U.S. troops to face no action’

The Taliban urged Washington to reverse the decision

December 14, 2021 11:16 pm | Updated 11:48 pm IST - Washington

Afghan residents and family members of the victims gather next to a damaged vehicle inside a house after a U.S. drone airstrike in Kabul. File

Afghan residents and family members of the victims gather next to a damaged vehicle inside a house after a U.S. drone airstrike in Kabul. File

The Pentagon said on Monday that no U.S. troops or officials would face disciplinary action for a drone strike in Kabul in August that killed 10 civilians, including seven children.

Spokesman John Kirby said Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin had received a high-level review of the strike that made no recommendation of accountability. “There was not a strong enough case to be made for personal accountability,” Mr. Kirby said.

Aimal Ahmadi, 32, who lost his three-year-old daughter, his brother and six nephews and nieces in the strike, expressed anger at the decision on Tuesday.

“God will take revenge,” Mr. Ahmadi said, adding “what if the US had lost a child? What would the reaction have been?”

The Taliban urged Washington to reverse the decision, with a spokesman saying the U.S. should “punish the culprits and compensate the victims”.

The August 29 drone strike took place in the final days of the U.S.-led evacuation of Kabul after the Taliban seized control of the country.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.