US drone strike in Kabul killed AID WORKER, not ISIS terrorist, NYT investigation shows

[WhenSultansBowled]

US drone strike in Kabul killed AID WORKER, not ISIS terrorist, NYT investigation shows

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/video/world/asia/100000007963596/us-drone-attack-kabul-investigation.html

By Christoph Koettl, Evan Hill, Matthieu Aikins, Eric Schmitt, Ainara Tiefenthäler and Drew Jordan•September 10, 2021
The New York Times obtained exclusive security camera footage and witness accounts to show how the military launched a drone strike that killed 10 people in Kabul on Aug. 29 without knowing whom it was hitting.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We obtained exclusive footage to identify the last movements of Zemari Ahmadi, who was killed in a U.S. drone strike in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Kabul?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Kabul</a>. Running office errands & loading canisters of water into his car, the military might have misinterpreted his actions. <br>​<a href="https://t.co/1Snk3kUq1J">https://t.co/1Snk3kUq1J</a></p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436423693178220546?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The strike killed the 43-year-old Ahmadi, who worked for a U.S. based organization, and 9 of his family members. The military knew little about him, incl. where he worked or lived. They followed his white Toyota because they claimed he went to an ISIS safehouse that morning.</p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436423695220854786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We see that car repeatedly in security camera footage from the office where Ahmadi worked. We verified the footage and accounted for the wrong camera settings by visiting the office and matching a specific scene with a satellite image from the day of the strike. <a href="https://twitter.com/Maxar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Maxar</a> <a href="https://t.co/fF22z8MKCI">pic.twitter.com/fF22z8MKCI</a></p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436424153830203430?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The footage matches what his co-workers told us: that it was a regular day for Ahmadi, incl. regular trips to and from the office. Crucial: We see him fill up several canisters of water to put into the trunk of his car before heading home. <a href="https://t.co/zNACfrGohX">pic.twitter.com/zNACfrGohX</a></p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436429653900730423?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Co-workers who drove with him that day told us they got in the car around 4pm. They all denied putting explosives into a car they were commuting home in. Instead, they said they only put laptop bags into the car. And that the trunk was full with water canisters.</p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436429970138599426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Around the same time, the Pentagon says analysts watching a drone video observed 4 men carefully loading wrapped packages into the car. They couldn’t tell what was inside. Saying he posed an imminent threat, they fired a Hellfire missile when he returned to his home.</p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436430219083239427?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The military did not know this was his home, and have not watched it during the day. was his home Ten people were killed, including 7 children, according to the family. The Pentagon has not released any specific evidence on the U.S. strike, including drone surveillance footage.</p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436430220987408425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Weapons experts who reviewed photos and videos from the scene could not find evidence of the multiple, large-scale explosions that the Pentagon described. <a href="https://t.co/iziVUunLFe">https://t.co/iziVUunLFe</a> <a href="https://t.co/4H4QpU8DNs">pic.twitter.com/4H4QpU8DNs</a></p>— Christoph Koettl (@ckoettl) <a href="https://twitter.com/ckoettl/status/1436431665446989829?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Milley lied. He murdered a US ally and his entire family.<br><br>War crime.<br> <a href="https://t.co/oMbYH0e0pi">pic.twitter.com/oMbYH0e0pi</a></p>— Jack Posobiec &#55356;&#56826;&#55356;&#56824; (@JackPosobiec) <a href="https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1436438916148703235?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Emal Akhmadi's two-year-old daughter Malika was among the children killed in the American strike

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

[MENTION=132916]Junaids[/MENTION] I know you don't post at TimePass but 2 days ago I posted this in one of the replies to you in Cricket section.

Here you have it, actual evidence of the American atrocity against an Afghan family shared by multiple reliable sources!

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

 

[wajid]

Trigger happy drone operators or systematic policy to kill with half cooked evidence?

 

[mazkhan]

And this is why usa lost the war.

A morally bankrupt nation , preaching freedom and peace yet commits heinous crimes like this.

Didn't the drone operator see children crowding the vehicle , yet still fired.

Which sick person can pull the trigger into a crowd of kids.

 

[Civil]

Absolutely horrific crime.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

This poor guy... studied hard from a young age in continuous war to become an engineer... provided for his family and community. Even on his last day he was transporting water gallons from his office to his neighbors... what a sad end. May Allah SWT bless this martyr's soul.

Malika won't get vigils or even empty tweets. Angelina Jolie will not publish an Instagram post and bigot tv channels won't even mention her name.

The whole family will be forgotten in a few days. The murderers will live happily ever after, with complete impunity...

Yet some bloodthirsty warmonger psychos want this war to continue...

The massacre, the lies and the aftermath make one lose faith in humanity.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Read the full analysis: Preliminary estimate of the size of the explosion in the August 29 Kabul incident

Imagery and expert analysis of the U.S. drone strike’s aftermath in Kabul raise questions about Pentagon’s justification of the attack. Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, an explosives expert with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, provided an in-depth assessment of the explosion. Read the story here.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/cont...ncident/e86bde41-bb1f-493c-9717-072d4a56be3e/

Download the PDF to read the detailed evidence that exposes Americans' lies:

https://context-cdn.washingtonpost..../75c123b6-9c65-4991-91ed-6acc757208b6.#page=1

--

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ferenc Dalnoki-Veress, a nuclear physicist who helped discover that neutrinos have mass, wrote a 19-page assessment of the explosion and the Pentagon’s claims for The Post. You can read it here <a href="https://t.co/tSKR6zf0Sl">https://t.co/tSKR6zf0Sl</a> <a href="https://t.co/MKFW5ZZ73w">https://t.co/MKFW5ZZ73w</a></p>— Alex Horton (@AlexHortonTX) <a href="https://twitter.com/AlexHortonTX/status/1436499006537019397?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[sweep_shot]

Sickening.

Will there be any accountability?

Yankees should be held accountable.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

And this is why usa lost the war.

A morally bankrupt nation , preaching freedom and peace yet commits heinous crimes like this.

Didn't the drone operator see children crowding the vehicle , yet still fired.

Which sick person can pull the trigger into a crowd of kids.

Drone strikes by their nature are going to be indiscriminate. Operators are probably similar to video gamers with the same skill set. Their job is to hit a target. Obviously in video games you don't get to see the burnt flesh and blood of real life, but that's not their remit.

 

[ahmedzee]

Well this was. Regular occurrence in Afghanistan and Pakistan tribal areas. US was mustering civilians (women and children including) and our leader, Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif kept allowing it to happen.

Where are those keepers of human rights and women rights in this thread ? [MENTION=135038]Major[/MENTION] why so quiet ?

 

[PakLFC]

9/10 victims of drone are innocent people. America knows this but continues by paying off the critics are governments. Thankfully, at least IK has ended these drone attacks in Pak.

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Sickening.

Not the first time USA has been accused of shoot first and ask questions later.

 

[KingKhanWC]

Tragic, poor lives lost for no reason other than imperialists wanting to further their agendas.

When will these invaders be tried for the war crimes they have committed over the last 20 years?

 

[MenInG]

The US government has offered financial compensation to the relatives of 10 people mistakenly killed by the American military in a drone strike on the Afghan capital, Kabul, in August.

An aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, died in the strike.

The Pentagon said it was also working to help surviving members of the family relocate to the US.

The strike took place days before the US military withdrew from Afghanistan.

It came amid a frenzied evacuation effort following the Taliban's sudden return to power and only days after a devastating attack close to Kabul's airport by IS-K, a local branch of the Islamic State (IS) group.

US intelligence had tracked the aid worker's car for eight hours on 29 August, believing it was linked to IS-K militants, US Central Command's Gen Kenneth McKenzie said last month.

The investigation found the man's car had been seen at a compound associated with IS-K, and its movements aligned with other intelligence about the terror group's plans for an attack on Kabul airport.

At one point, a surveillance drone saw men loading what appeared to be explosives into the boot of the car, but these turned out to be containers of water.

Gen McKenzie described the strike as a "tragic mistake" and added that the Taliban had not been involved in the intelligence that led to the strike.

The strike happened as the aid worker - named as Zamairi Ahmadi - pulled into the driveway of his home, 3km (1.8 miles) from the airport.

The explosion set off a secondary blast, which US officials initially said was proof that the car was indeed carrying explosives. However, an investigation found it was most likely caused by a propane tank in the driveway.

One of those killed, Ahmad Naser, had been a translator with US forces. Other victims had previously worked for international organisations and held visas allowing them entry to the US.

The compensation offer was made on Thursday in a meeting between Colin Kahl, the under-secretary of defence for policy, and Steven Kwon, the founder and president of an aid group active in Afghanistan called Nutrition and Education International, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Mr Kahl noted Mr Ahmadi and others who were killed "were innocent victims who bore no blame and were not affiliated with ISIS-K or threats to US forces", said a statement attributed to Defence Department spokesman John Kirby.

He reiterated Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin's commitment to the families, including "condolence payments".

Mr Austin has apologised for the botched attack, but Mr Ahmadi's 22-year-old nephew Farshad Haidari said that was not enough.

"They must come here and apologise to us face-to-face," he told the AFP news agency in Kabul.

When the US started to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban managed to seize control of the country within about two weeks in a rapid offensive. Kabul fell on 15 August.

It sparked a mass evacuation effort from the US and its allies, as thousands of people tried to flee. Many were foreign nationals or Afghans who had worked for foreign governments.

The security situation was further heightened after the IS-K attack on the airport. A suicide bomber killed up to 170 civilians and 13 US troops outside the airport on 26 August.

Many of those killed had been hoping to board evacuation flights leaving the city.

The last US soldier left Afghanistan on 31 August - the deadline President Joe Biden had set for the US withdrawal.

More than 124,000 foreigners and Afghans were flown out of the country beforehand. But some people were unable to get out in time, and evacuation efforts are ongoing.

BBC

 

[MenInG]

The US has said no American troops or officials will be held accountable for a drone strike that killed 10 people in Afghanistan in August.

The attack took place during the final days of the US-led evacuation of Kabul after the Taliban seized control.

An aid worker and nine members of his family, including seven children, died in the strike.

American intelligence had believed the aid worker's car was linked to IS-K, a local branch of Islamic State.

But in the aftermath, US Central Command's Gen Kenneth McKenzie described the strike on 29 August as a "tragic mistake".

A high-level internal review published last month, concluded that that there was no need for disciplinary action, since no law had been broken, and there was no evidence of misconduct or negligence.

Several US media outlets reported that the review was approved on Monday by Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.

The strike happened days after a suicide bomber killed up to 170 civilians and 13 US troops outside Kabul airport.

US forces had targeted a car belonging to aid worker Zamairi Ahmadi, and the strike was launched as he pulled into the driveway of his home, 3km (1.8 miles) from the airport.

The vehicle had been seen at a compound associated with IS-K, and its movements aligned with other intelligence about the terror group's plans for another attack.

The explosion set off a secondary blast, which US officials initially said was proof that the car was indeed carrying explosives. However, an investigation found it was most likely caused by a propane tank in the driveway.

BBC