Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin isn’t going to punish any personnel involved in a drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan in August that killed 10 civilians — including at least seven children.
His decision follows the recommendations of top U.S. commanders.
The Pentagon initially claimed the Aug. 29 strike was aimed at a vehicle carrying explosives meant for Hamid Karzai International Airport as part of an Islamic State attack on U.S. troops who were securing the evacuation following the collapse of the pro-U.S. Afghan government. In reality, the car belonged to 43-year-old Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker employed by Nutrition and Education International, a California-based NGO supplying food to Afghans who were displaced by the war.
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A suicide attack at the airport killed 13 U.S. troops and more than 170 civilians three days before the drone strike. Military commanders on the ground in Afghanistan feared another attack was imminent. Air Force Lt. Gen. Sami D. Said, the service’s inspector general, said U.S. officials made several mistaken assumptions as they tracked Mr. Ahmadi‘s car for several hours that day. While he did not accuse them of criminal wrongdoing, he left the door open for possible punitive measures.
Secretary Austin gave authority for issuing any administrative actions to the head of U.S. Central Command, Marine Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, Jr., and Army Gen. Richard D. Clarke, head of Special Operations Command.
“None of their recommendations dealt specifically with accountability. The Secretary reviewed their recommendations [and] he approved,” them, chief Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Monday. “I do not anticipate there being issues of accountability to be had with respect to the Aug. 29 airstrike.”
The recommendations made by the two four-star generals and later approved by Secretary Austin were primarily about procedure and process, Mr. Kirby said.
“Most of them are of a classified nature so we won’t be talking about specifics,” he said.
The Pentagon has acknowledged that Mr. Ahmadi, the driver of the vehicle erroneously thought to be packed with explosives, had no known ties to the Islamic State terrorist group. U.S. officials offered their condolences to his family and said they want to help get them out of Afghanistan, along with offering them a financial settlement.
“We continue to work closely with Mr. Ahmadi‘s former employer. We want to effect this as soon as possible,” Mr. Kirby told reporters.