The United States of America conducted a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan at a residential area allegedly targeting a vehicle that carried “multiple suicide bombers” associated with the Islamic State of Khorasan Province (ISKP). However, according to reports since then, at least 9 civilians have been killed in the drone strike, including 6 children.
A relative of the deceased told a local journalist working with CNN that 9 civilians were killed from one single family. At the time of writing this report, the Associated Press had reported that a local Afghan official had said that three children had died. There is some confusion about the precise number yet but it could be that the death toll was rising and hence, the different numbers.
Nine members of one family were killed in US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of #Kabul, according to a relative of those killed. Those killed included six children, the brother of the one of the dead told a local journalist working with CNN
— Michael Holmes (@holmescnn) August 29, 2021
Earlier, US CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Bill Urban had claimed, “U.S. military forces conducted a self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International Airport.”
He stated, “We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.” He has said that the US forces were “assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties, though we have no indications at this time”.
Hours after the reports of the rocket attack, the Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said that a US airstrike targeted a terrorist who was going to attack the Kabul airport. The Taliban said that a drone strike by US forces targeted a suicide bomber in a vehicle who wanted to attack the Kabul international airport on Sunday. In a message to journalists, the Taliban spokesperson said that the vehicle was laden with explosives, but didn’t give any other detail.
