A US drone mistakenly killed ten civilians, including seven children, in Kabul last month, the head of the US Army Central Command said on Friday (September 17th).
"It was a mistake and I offer my sincere apologies," General Frank McKenzie told reporters.
Initially, the Pentagon had declared that this strike, which occurred on August 29 in the Afghan capital, had hit a vehicle "representing an imminent threat from the Islamic State group in Afghanistan".
A second explosion after the strike, he added, "indicated the presence of a significant amount of explosive material."
"At the time of this strike, I was certain that it had warned of an imminent threat to our troops at the airport," General McKenzie said.
"Our investigation now concludes that this strike was a tragic mistake."
Repairs
The vehicle hit by the drone, he explained, was not carrying members of the Islamic State group and posed no direct threat to US troops based at the Kabul airport.
The Pentagon is considering reparations for those killed, added the head of the Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East.
In the days following this strike, the death of civilians had been mentioned.
Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the strike claimed the lives of seven civilians.
US troops withdrew from Afghanistan in late August, fifteen days after the Taliban came to power in the country, and after organizing, under chaotic circumstances, an airlift to evacuate tens of thousands of Afghans and foreign nationals.
With AFP
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