The US military described a US air strike in the Afghan capital Kabul at the end of August as a "tragic mistake". "I am now convinced that up to ten civilians, including up to seven children, were tragically killed in this attack," said US General Kenneth McKenzie, who heads US Central Command Centcom, on Friday. In addition, it is believed that it is unlikely that the vehicle and the people killed would have posed a direct threat to the US armed forces or were connected to Isis-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia.
"This blow was carried out in the serious belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our armed forces from the evacuees at the airport, but that was a mistake," McKenzie said. It was not a "hasty attack". The vehicle had previously been observed for eight hours. There had previously been reports of civilians being killed in the August 29 attack. The US military had announced a clarification.