U.S. plans to make ‘condolence payments’ to families of Afghans killed in botched drone strike

The United States has pledged to marque undisclosed “ex gratia condolence payments,” to the families of 10 Afghan civilians — including 7 children — who were killed successful a botched drone onslaught successful August, arsenic American troops clamored to exit the country, the Pentagon said successful a connection precocious Friday.

The connection follows a gathering held Thursday betwixt U.S. officials and the caput of a California-based foundation that employed Zamarai Ahmadi, the Afghan antheral targeted and killed successful the drone onslaught connected Aug. 29.

Ahmadi, a begetter of four, was an assistance idiosyncratic with the U.S. nonprofit, which aims to alleviate malnutrition successful Afghanistan. He had conscionable arrived location to his household compound successful a vicinity westbound of Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport, erstwhile a Hellfire rocket strike was conducted.

U.S. subject officials said they had tracked Ahmadi’s achromatic Toyota sedan car for hours aft the conveyance near a suspected Islamic State-Khorasan (ISIS-K) harmless house. The Pentagon aboriginal issued a mea culpa and said the onslaught was a effect of a chain of miscalculations by U.S. commanders, who wrongly believed the assistance idiosyncratic was hauling explosives successful his car, they said.

Thursday’s virtual gathering took spot betwixt Colin Kahl, U.S. undersecretary of defence for argumentation and Steven Kwon, laminitis and president of “Nutrition & Education International,” the charity Ahmadi worked for, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said successful the connection connected Friday.

“Dr. Kahl noted that the onslaught was a tragic mistake and that Mr. Zemari Ahmadi and others who were killed were guiltless victims, who bore nary blasted and were not affiliated with ISIS-K oregon threats to U.S. forces,” Kirby said.

Kahl besides reiterated Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s, “commitment to the families, including offering ex gratia condolence payments,” the connection added.

During the meeting, foundation laminitis Kwon paid tribute to Ahmadi’s enactment implicit galore years, “providing attraction and lifesaving assistance” to Afghans, according to Kirby’s statement.

The Defense Department had initially defended the drone cognition arsenic a “righteous strike.” However, successful September, Secretary Austin said in a statement: “We present cognize that determination was nary transportation betwixt Mr. Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities connected that time were wholly harmless and not astatine each related to the imminent menace we believed we faced.”

Austin apologized for Ahmadi’s death, calling him and others guiltless victims and pledged, “to larn from this horrible mistake.”

Last month, members of the Ahmadi household told The Washington Post how the onslaught had upended their lives, shattered their location and formed a fearful spotlight connected them for having worked with foreigners, alongside the mendacious accusations of ties to the Islamic State.

“We are blessed they person acknowledged their mistake and confirmed that they killed guiltless people,” Zamarai’s 32-year-old member Emal told The Post.

The drone strike connected the household compound Ahmadi shared with his 3 brothers and their families killed Zamarai and 3 of his sons — Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 11. The 3 children of different member — Arween, 7, Binyamin, 6 and Ayat, 2 — besides died, on with Emal’s 3-year-old daughter, Malika, and his nephew Nasser, 30. A cousin’s babe daughter, Sumaiya, was besides among those killed.

As the main breadwinner, the household depended connected Zamarai’s $500 monthly salary, said Emal, and were present seeking compensation from the U.S. authorities and assistance successful leaving Afghanistan for America oregon different harmless country.

“We privation bid and comfortableness for our remaining years. Everyone makes mistakes. The Americans cannot bring backmost our loved ones, but they tin instrumentality america retired of here,” Samim Ahmadi, 24, the measurement lad of Zamarai said past month.

Kirby’s connection connected Friday confirmed that the Department of Defense was moving with the State Department, “in enactment of Mr. Ahmadi’s household members who are funny successful relocation to the United States.”

The August drone onslaught came days aft a suicide onslaught astatine Kabul airdrome claimed the lives of astatine slightest 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. work members. It besides followed days of chaos successful Kabul arsenic thousands of Afghans tried to flee done the airport amid a Taliban takeover of the state and a hurried withdrawal of U.S. troops.

The information concern successful Afghanistan nether the Taliban remains precarious.

The frequence of attacks has deepened concerns that successful the aftermath of the Taliban takeover, different militant groups are increasing successful spot and uncovering a haven for their activities astir the country. The deadly unit has besides added substance to skepticism astir the Taliban’s quality to maintain security successful the immense state it present controls.