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In two decades of war against shadowy enemies like Al Qaeda and the Islamic State, the U.S.

The Pentagon had not acknowledged the mistaken strike until a week after a Times investigation of video evidence challenged assertions by the military that it had struck a vehicle carrying explosives meant for Hamid Karzai International Airport in Kabul. “So I do not anticipate there being issues of personal accountability to be had with respect to the Aug. “What we saw here was a breakdown in process, and execution in procedural events, not the result of negligence, not the result of misconduct, not the result of poor leadership,” Mr. Clarke, the head of the Special Operations Command, found no grounds for penalizing any of the military personnel involved in the strike, said John F. McKenzie Jr., the head of the military’s Central Command, and Gen. Austin III, who had left the final word on any administrative action, such as reprimands or demotions, to two senior commanders, approved their recommendation not to punish anyone. A subsequent high-level investigation into the episode found no violations of law but stopped short of fully exonerating those involved, saying such decisions should be left up to commanders.ĭefense Secretary Lloyd J. drone strike before American troops withdrew from Afghanistan the previous month was a tragic mistake that killed the civilians, including seven children, after initially saying it had been necessary to prevent an Islamic State attack on troops. The Pentagon acknowledged in September that the last U.S. “I have nothing for you now because that involves personnel issues,” he said.WASHINGTON - None of the military personnel involved in a botched drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 10 civilians will face any kind of punishment, the Pentagon said on Monday. McKenzie declined to comment as to whether anyone will be disciplined over the strike, noting that the investigation is ongoing. That assessment turned out to be wrong, he acknowledged. that afternoon because the military determined there was little potential for civilian casualties, McKenzie said. In the 48 hours before the strike, the military had “a substantial body of intelligence” indicating that there would be another attack, and one recurring theme was that ISIS-K would use a white Toyota Corolla as a key element, McKenzie said.īased on that intelligence, the military began surveilling the car belonging to the target, identified as Zemari Ahmadi, the morning of the strike, and continued observing its movements for eight hours, McKenzie said. service members and more than 100 civilians at the airport. The strike must be considered “in the context of the situation on the ground,” McKenzie said, adding that just days before an ISIS-K suicide bombing had killed 13 U.S. McKenzie on Friday stood by the intelligence the military used to determine the target, noting the threat to the airport was posed by a “white Toyota Corolla,” the same type of car that was destroyed in the strike, and that the military had “no indication that the strike would result in civilian casualties.” “But after deeper post strike analysis our conclusion is that innocent civilians were killed.” “In a dynamic high threat environment, the commanders on the ground had appropriate authority and had reasonable certainty that the target was valid,” Milley said in a statement.

Milley on Friday acknowledged the mistake, calling the “heart wrenching” strike “a horrible tragedy of war.” Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in early September called the strike “righteous.”īut instead, the strike “tragically” killed “as many as 10 civilians,” including up to seven children, McKenzie said. 29 strike based on intelligence that the man was planning an “imminent” attack on the airport, where the military was scrambling to evacuate tens of thousands of American citizens and at-risk Afghans before the clock ran out on the withdrawal. The revelation also comes one week after a New York Times investigation determined the target actually worked for an American aid organization.Ĭentral Command ordered the Aug. More than 120,000 people were airlifted from Hamid Karzai International Airport before U.S. The news comes as the Biden administration is already facing criticism over its Afghanistan withdrawal and the fact that the effort left hundreds of Americans and thousands of at-risk Afghans in the country at the end of August.