Drone attack in Kabul: US allies protest against ‘impunity, secrecy’ | Drone Hits Story

Washington, DC – The United States is sending a “dangerous and misleading message” for failing to protect US troops from the Kabul bombing that killed 10 civilians, including seven children, human rights activists have said.

Accusations about the August 29 bombing escalated Tuesday, just days after US media reported that US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin was in trouble. he accepted the idea from senior officers not to punish any of the soldiers.

Liberation groups also urged senior officials of President Joe Biden to do more to help survivors of the attack in Afghanistan’s capital to relocate to the US.

The bomber struck shortly after noon in front of a truck belonging to Zemari Ahmadi, a United States employee of Nutrition and Education International (NEI). His nine relatives.

“I have been asking the US government to remove relatives who have been directly affected by NEI workers for several months because their security is very tight,” Steven Kwon, founder and president of NEI, said in a statement.

“When the Pentagon ceases to answer charges, it sends a shocking and misleading message that its actions were reasonable, increasing security risks and prompting people to evacuate immediately.”

‘Accountability issues’

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday that Austin had accepted the views of the two senior officials on the Kabul bombings, which did not include “responsibility issues”.

“I do not expect that there will be independent reports regarding the airstrikes on August 29,” Kirby told reporters. The Pentagon did not respond to a request from Al Jazeera for comment Tuesday.

But all Kirby’s statements but those already confirmed by a New York Times and other U.S. newspapers, citing unidentified U.S. military officials for whom no one has been convicted of the conspiracy.

Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern over the Pentagon’s sentiments, urging Congress to “urgently monitor” the Department of Defense by highlighting “20 years of practices that have killed or maimed civilians”.

Sarah Holewinski, head of the group in Washington, called the casualties “the unresolved” and “confidential message” a threat to US loyalty around the world, just days after President Joe Biden’s term came to an end. “Summit for Democracy”.

“After 20 years of declaration, Congress should consider reforming the military justice system and requesting answers from the Pentagon as to why previous comments on policies and procedures have not brought about real change,” Holewinski said in a statement.

The drones in the US

The US began using drone threats against al-Qaeda militants shortly after 9/11.

But such bombings were not limited to areas where US troops were directly involved in warfare. Terrorists targeted Yemen, Somalia, Syria and Pakistan among other places as the US began its march. “war on terror“.

As the Iraq and Afghanistan wars intensify, the Obama administration relied heavily on drones as part of national security rather than civil war.

“As al-Qaeda disbanded and went underground, and joined forces with helpers, helpers, sleep cells, and audiences connected to the internet and burning phones, our security agencies across the country were challenged to create new and more sophisticated, warlike objects.” Former President Barack Obama wrote in his 2020 memoir, the Promised Land.

The process, which makes it difficult to count injured people, has quickly raised concerns from human rights activists. London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism to compare that approximately 16,900 civilians, including hundreds of children, have been killed in US airstrips in several countries since 2004.

This month, a coalition of activist groups called on Austin, secretary of defense, to ensure that US terrorists harm civilians, destroy “civilian security history over the past 20 years” and “fail to prioritize security”.

‘Beat well’

Contrary to this, activists say the Pentagon has finally endorsed the 29 US drone attack that killed civilians as a result. media reports and investigations he pointed out that this is what happened.

U.S. military officials had earlier confirmed that ISIS (ISIS) was planning to attack the airport in Kabul, where US troops were operating. a major evacuation operation. “At this point, we think the process was well followed and it was a fair beating,” Mark Milley, a US official, told reporters at the September 1 conference.

By that time, several media outlets had reported that the bomb had hit an innocent Afghan family. “They were innocent, helpless children,” said Aimal Ahmadi, whose grandchildren were killed in the attack. said Al Jazeera the day after the bombing.

Kirby said Monday that U.S. officials are working with Kwon “urgently” to remove Ahmadi’s relatives who remain in Afghanistan and provide them with compensation. The Pentagon had it he announced his goal was to pay “ex gratia” to victims when he confessed in September that a bomb had killed civilians.

But an internal review of the Pentagon he finishes last month that while the bombing was a “tragic crime”, it did not escalate to the point of serious misconduct or criminal negligence.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has accepted comments from senior officials that they will not prosecute any military personnel in connection with the attack, U.S. media reported this week. [Patrick Semansky/AP Photo]

The report was still pending, but on November 3, Inspector General Sami Said, who led the investigation, said he had consulted several people before informing him.

“The investigation found no violations of the law, including the war law,” Said told reporters at the time. “It found murderous offenses … combined with prejudice and a disruption of communication that led to the massacre of civilians.”

Larry Lewis, a former Pentagon and State Department adviser on reducing civilian casualties, said the drone attack in Kabul was not a serious misconduct on special occasions but was part of a “model” of the crisis that led to civilian casualties.

Lewis, who now works for the Washington, DC, research institute, CNA, said that criticizing individuals can ensure that they are accountable for the explosions and “encourage change”.

“I also think we can’t miss the big picture that these officers are working in such a big way [has] systemic problems that have not been resolved, “Lewis told Al Jazeera.

‘Firefighters can no longer put out fires’

The drone attack on August 29 came a few days later bombing Outside the airport in Kabul, the Islamic State government in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), has killed more than 150 Afghan and 13 US civilians.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which represents NEI, expressed disappointment on Tuesday over the results of the Pentagon investigation.

“NEI and the rest of the family have repeatedly appealed for better publicity and to answer for the murder of their loved ones, and they continue to be upset,” Hina Shamsi, head of ACLU’s national security project, said in a statement.

“We have asked the Pentagon to remove the affected relatives and staff of NEI who are at risk because of what the US government is doing, but have not seen anything.”

Advocates have also criticized the US government’s plan to continue using drones against ISKPs and other threats to Afghanistan.

Arash Azizzada, co-founder of Afghans for a Better Tomorrow, an Afghan and American civil rights group, has called for an end to all US terrorist attacks in Afghanistan. “We have seen that this failure plan harms lives, destroys communities and only allows for violence in the country,” Azizzada told Al Jazeera in a telephone interview in October.

Azizzada also called for an international investigation into the US military situation in Afghanistan, including a drone attack in August. “The United States cannot answer the United States,” Azizzada said.

“From time to time, we have seen the United States say, ‘We will examine this; we will see if this was done correctly. But firefighters can no longer do so. ”