https://sputnikglobe.com/20220120/newly-declassified-footage-shows-us-drone-strike-that-killed-10-afghan-civilians---report-1092378045.html
Newly Declassified Footage Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 10 Afghan Civilians - Report
Newly Declassified Footage Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 10 Afghan Civilians - Report
Sputnik International
In the final days of a hectic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, the US launched a drone strike against a suspected terrorist plotter. However, it... 20.01.2022, Sputnik International
2022-01-20T00:58+0000
2022-01-20T00:58+0000
2022-12-08T16:35+0000
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The New York Times published a newly declassified drone surveillance footage on Wednesday that sheds more light on the closing minutes and aftermath of a botched drone strike in Kabul which took place on August 29, when the US military fired upon ten innocent people, including seven children, in an incident that marked the end of the 20-year US war in the nation.The never-before-seen videos include around 25 minutes of silent and rather blurry footage from two drones — both reportedly MQ-9 Reapers, which according to a military official who presented the videos to the publication captured the minutes leading up to, during, and after the strike.According to the report upon publication, the strike footage was obtained by the outlet through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against US Central Command, which was in charge of the military operations in Afghanistan. Per the standard practice of military disclosures, this is considered quite an unusual move by the Department of Defense involving an instance where an airstrike resulted in human casualties, which are usually just deemed "collateral damage."The films show a car approaching and backing into a courtyard on a residential street covered by walls. One of the videos contains hazy images, presumably from a camera designed to detect heat. In the minutes before a Hellfire missile engulfs the interior, hazy individuals can be seen wandering about the courtyard, and alleged children can be seen walking on the street outside the walls. Neighbors can then be seen urgently dumping water from rooftops onto the patio.The NYT noted that because the footage was recorded from the above perspective, the heights of most of the people inside the courtyard are virtually impossible to determine, making it difficult to identify whether they are actually children. The video with a better view of the courtyard is in black-and-white and of poorer quality. The other footage, which is in color, starts after the car has already started backing in, but briefly switches to black-and-white, presumably due to a thermal lens, at the moment of the strike.A Pentagon official stated in November that grainy images in the footage suggested the presence of at least one child in the blast zone approximately two minutes before the missile was launched, but that such a determination was only possible with hindsight and "the luxury of time."The Defense Department admitted the attack was a tragic mistake that killed innocent people while Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin offered condolences to the victims’ family members, including the family of Zamarai Ahmadi, who worked for the humanitarian organization Nutrition and Education International.Ahmadi was identified by the US military as a "Daesh*-Khorasan terrorist" who was allegedly planning to explode a device near Kabul's airport, where the evacuation was underway. Austin said the independent investigation into the drone strike has not found any link between him and Daesh-K.The probe conducted by the DoD concluded that misconduct and/or incompetence were not factors in the incident. And the Pentagon chief decided that no US military forces personnel will face punishment for it.The US government has vowed to resettle the victims' relatives, as well as staff of the aid organization, and give specific payments to the families, but they still have not received any compensation, according to the NYT.*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
https://sputnikglobe.com/20211213/pentagon-troops-tied-to-botched-kabul-drone-strike-that-killed-10-civilians-will-face-no-punishment-1091497188.html
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military & intelligence, us, airstrike, afghanistan, us troops in afghanistan, afghanistan war
military & intelligence, us, airstrike, afghanistan, us troops in afghanistan, afghanistan war
Newly Declassified Footage Shows US Drone Strike That Killed 10 Afghan Civilians - Report
00:58 GMT 20.01.2022 (Updated: 16:35 GMT 08.12.2022) Kirill Kurevlev
Managing Editor
In the final days of a hectic troop withdrawal from Afghanistan last summer, the US launched a drone strike against a suspected terrorist plotter. However, it was later revealed that the alleged target had previously worked for the US military transporting water around the area and that the strike took the lives of ten civilians.
The New York Times published a newly declassified drone surveillance footage on Wednesday that sheds more light on the closing minutes and aftermath of a botched drone strike in Kabul which took place on August 29, when the US military fired upon ten innocent people, including seven children, in an incident that marked the end of the 20-year US war in the nation.
The never-before-seen videos include around 25 minutes of silent and rather blurry footage from two drones — both reportedly MQ-9 Reapers, which according to a military official who presented the videos to the publication captured the minutes leading up to, during, and after the strike.
According to the report upon publication, the strike footage was obtained by the outlet through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed against US Central Command, which was in charge of the military operations in Afghanistan.
Per the standard practice of military disclosures, this is considered quite an unusual move by the Department of Defense involving an instance where an airstrike resulted in human casualties, which are usually just deemed "collateral damage."
The films show a car approaching and backing into a courtyard on a residential street covered by walls. One of the videos contains hazy images, presumably from a camera designed to detect heat. In the minutes before a Hellfire missile engulfs the interior, hazy individuals can be seen wandering about the courtyard, and alleged children can be seen walking on the street outside the walls. Neighbors can then be seen urgently dumping water from rooftops onto the patio.
The NYT noted that because the footage was recorded from the above perspective, the heights of most of the people inside the courtyard are virtually impossible to determine, making it difficult to identify whether they are actually children.
The video with a better view of the courtyard is in black-and-white and of poorer quality. The other footage, which is in color, starts after the car has already started backing in, but briefly switches to black-and-white, presumably due to a thermal lens, at the moment of the strike.
A Pentagon official stated in November that grainy images in the footage suggested the
presence of at least one child in the blast zone approximately two minutes before the missile was launched, but that such a determination was only possible with hindsight and "the luxury of time."
The Defense Department admitted the attack was a tragic mistake that killed innocent people while Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin offered condolences to the victims’ family members, including the family of Zamarai Ahmadi, who worked for the humanitarian organization Nutrition and Education International.
Ahmadi was identified by the US military as a "Daesh*-Khorasan terrorist" who was allegedly planning to explode a device near Kabul's airport, where the evacuation was underway. Austin said the independent investigation into the drone strike has not found any link between him and Daesh-K.
"While the strike was intended for what was believed to be an imminent threat to our troops at Hamad Karzai International Airport, none of the family members killed are now believed to have been connected to ISIS-K [Daesh] or threats to our troops,” a spokesman for US Central Command reaffirmed. “We deeply regret the loss of life that resulted from this strike."
13 December 2021, 21:58 GMT
The probe conducted by the DoD concluded that misconduct and/or incompetence were not factors in the incident. And the Pentagon chief decided that no US military forces personnel will face punishment for it. The US government has
vowed to resettle the victims' relatives, as well as staff of the aid organization, and give specific payments to the families, but they still have not received any compensation, according to the NYT.
*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist organization outlawed in Russia and many other states
