Pentagon provides unspecified ‘condolence funds’ for 7 Afghan youngsters & support employee murdered in botched drone strike

The US navy is providing “condolence funds” to a household in Afghanistan after a badly deliberate drone strike killed 10 civilians, together with seven youngsters, within the nation’s capital in August, although didn’t present any numbers.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby revealed the supply on Friday, stating that Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin made a “dedication” to the Akhmadi household for compensation following the August 29 drone strike, “together with providing ex gratia condolence funds” and State Division help in relocating members of the family to the USA.

The supply was raised throughout a digital assembly between Below Secretary of Protection for Coverage Colin Kahl and Dr. Steven Kwon, who employed one of many Akhmadis killed within the strike at his US-based support group, Diet & Training Worldwide, lengthy lively in Afghanistan.

“Kahl famous that the strike was a tragic mistake and that Mr. Zemari Akhmadi and others who have been killed have been harmless victims who bore no blame and weren’t affiliated with ISIS-Okay or threats to US forces,” Kirby went on.

The assertion, from @PentagonPresSec doesn’t point out any quantities for the ex gratia condolence funds for the civilians killed

re final US drone strike in #Afghanistan pic.twitter.com/D6LKMRbtuF

— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) October 15, 2021

The Pentagon initially deemed the strike successful, claiming to have killed an Islamic State militant planning assaults on American troops in Kabul, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees Mark Milley even calling it “righteous.” Nevertheless, thanks largely to a New York Occasions investigation that raised critical questions in regards to the navy’s narrative in regards to the drone strike, officers have been quickly pressured to confess the operation didn’t take a single terrorist off the battlefield and as a substitute massacred an harmless household. 

READ MORE: ‘They attacked us & killed our youngsters’: Grieving Afghan fathers demand truthful investigation of US drone strike in Kabul (VIDEO)

The misidentified fundamental goal of the assault, Zemari Akhmadi, was employed as an support employee with Diet & Training Worldwide for years, the Occasions investigation revealed. He was killed as he pulled into his driveway exterior his house, with the Pentagon initially claiming he was seen loading explosives into the car earlier within the day. The Occasions, nevertheless, obtained safety footage displaying Akhmadi loading jugs of water into his car, suggesting the navy might have mistaken them for bombs.

Among the many youngest of the victims have been Malika Akhmadi and Sumaya Yousoufi, each two years previous, who have been reportedly gathered with household on the Kabul house for a celebration. 

“They are saying ISIS-Okay lived on this home. On this home, have been these youngsters members of Islamic State?” Sumaya’s father, Jamshid Yousoufi, stated in an interview with RT final month.

Malika’s dad, Emal, additionally recalled his final time seeing his daughter in one other sit-down with RT. “On the morning of the bombing, she got here and kissed me, and stated: ‘Good morning, Father.’ It was our final assembly. I’ll by no means see her once more,” he stated, including that no amount of cash might probably make up for his household’s loss. 

Nobody can compensate us. For those who give us all the cash on the planet, it is not going to be sufficient. It’s not doable. They’ll’t compensate for the homicide of a kid, and there’s no treatment for this loss.

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Whereas the Pentagon was kind of compelled to confess the August 29 operation was a failure – the final formally acknowledged strike within the longest struggle in American historical past – it follows numerous comparable incidents all through the battle. Although the Pentagon had lengthy been opaque with its casualty reporting, final yr it issued a first-of-its-kind report back to Congress outlining different condolence funds made in 2019. Throughout that yr, 65 funds have been made in Afghanistan, six in Iraq and none anyplace else.

The navy didn’t disclose the quantities it will pay out to the Akhmadi household. Nevertheless, earlier condolence funds have been criticized as paltry previously, with relations of victims in a single strike in Kunduz in 2015 receiving simply $ 6,000. Civilians wounded in the identical operation have been paid $ three,000.

“The cash is clearly not sufficient in comparison with the lifetime of my daughter,” stated Abdul Ghadir, who was compensated $ 6,000 after his 12-year-old woman was killed within the Kunduz strike.

I had no different selection however to simply accept what they gave me.

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