Ten members of one Afghan family killed in US drone strike - reports
30 August 2021, 18:31 | Updated: 30 August 2021, 18:34
Relatives have said that 10 members of the same family - including children - were killed by a US drone strike in Afghanistan, according to reports.
US officials said the strike was aimed at a vehicle travelling to Kabul airport with "a substantial amount of explosive material".
However, the strike reportedly killed 10 civilians, including six children aged between two and 16, when it hit a car parked outside the family's home.
36-year-old Zemaray Ahmadi was reportedly killed alongside his sons aged 20, 16 and 12, and six of his nieces and nephews aged between two and 28.
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The family were reportedly awaiting orders to go to the airport to be evacuated to the US.
One of those killed in the strike was a former translator for US forces.
Others held visas that would have allowed them entry to America.
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Pentagon press secretary John Kirby told reporters that they were "investigating" the reports of civilian casualties as a result of the strike.
"Make no mistake, no military on the face of the earth works harder to avoid civilian casualties than the United States' military, and nobody wants to see innocent life taken," he said.
"We take it very, very seriously and when we know that we have caused innocent life to be lost in the conduct of our operations, we're transparent about it."
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The air strike was the second attack by the Americans since a devastating suicide bomb killed more than 150 people on Thursday.
The latest strike came as the US winds down a historic airlift that saw tens of thousands evacuated from Kabul's international airport, the scene of much of the chaos that engulfed the Afghan capital since the Taliban took over two weeks ago.
US troops will be leaving Kabul airport by August 31, after the Taliban told the US they must stick to the deadline.
