Investigation clears US military of legal wrongdoing, but critics argue the findings contribute to a culture of impunity.
The Pentagon has stated that the deadly drone strike in Kabul on August 29, which killed 10 Afghan civilians, was an “honest mistake” and did not violate the law. According to the US Air Force inspector general’s investigation, the strike targeted a white Toyota Corolla, which operators mistook for a vehicle linked to the Islamic State, despite the fact that it was an error, and a child was visible in the footage moments before the attack.
The victims, including Zemari Ahmadi, a worker for a US aid organization, and nine members of his family (including seven children), were mistakenly killed due to misidentification. Despite acknowledging the tragic loss, the investigation concluded that there was no violation of the law of war, emphasizing human error and operational pressure as factors that contributed to the incident.
Lt. Gen. Sami Said, who led the investigation, described the mistake as non-criminal, defending the operators by attributing it to execution errors and confirmation bias. However, this conclusion has sparked outrage among human rights organizations and members of Congress, who criticize the lack of accountability and argue that the report fails to address deeper systemic issues in US drone warfare, which may lead to further civilian casualties in the future.
