Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished

By KATHY GANNON

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Afghan survivors of an errant U.S. drone onslaught that killed 10 members of their household successful August said Tuesday they are frustrated and saddened that U.S. troops progressive successful the onslaught volition not look disciplinary action.

A hellfire rocket had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, sidesplitting him and 9 relatives, including 7 children, successful the chaotic last days of the U.S. unit withdrawal from Afghanistan.

On Tuesday, 3 of Ahmadi’s brothers spoke of their loss, sitting conscionable a fewer feet from wherever the rocket struck Aug. 29. They said that to this day, they person heard thing from Washington astir fiscal compensation oregon erstwhile they would beryllium evacuated from Afghanistan.

Ahmadi, 37, was a longtime worker of an American humanitarian organization. The onslaught that killed him and his household members came pursuing the Taliban takeover of the state successful mid-August.

It besides came conscionable days aft an Islamic State radical termination bomber killed 13 U.S. troops and 169 Afghans astatine a Kabul airdrome gate. U.S. forces believed that the car they were pursuing was an imminent menace and decided to strike.

Since the strike, the Ahmadis had demanded that those liable beryllium punished and that they beryllium relocated to the United States oregon a 3rd state deemed harmless for them.

On Monday, the Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved recommendations for improvements successful onslaught operations from the generals who pb U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command, based connected the findings of an autarkic Pentagon reappraisal released past month.

But determination were nary recommendations for subject made by the generals, according to John Kirby, main Pentagon spokesman.

Kirby said the U.S. was inactive acceptable to wage fiscal compensation to the Ahmadis and perchance get them retired of Afghanistan. Asked wherefore it was taking truthful long, Kirby said the U.S. wanted it done arsenic safely arsenic possible.

For the Ahmadis, each time they stay successful Kabul puts them astatine risk. Rumor connected the thoroughfare has it that the U.S. has already paid them and criminals are anxious to get their hands connected the money, said Emal Ahmadi. His 3-year-old girl Malika was killed successful the strike.

They are besides getting telephone threats, added Emal, the youngest of the brothers. The callers endanger to termination them if they don’t springiness them money.

“People are ever asking america however overmuch wealth we got,” Emal added. As for the U.S. promises to evacuate the family, “we are waiting. We person heard nothing. … The longer it takes, the much unsafe it is for us.”

For Romal Ahmadi, whose 3 children aged 2-7 years were killed successful the strike, the days are a blur of slump and pain. “I consciousness lone pain,” helium said. He wants the U.S. troops down the onslaught punished.

“But America is simply a superpower,” Romal said. “We are powerless to bash thing truthful we permission it to God to punish them.”

At the clip of the strike, the U.S. was moving to evacuate thousands of Americans, Afghans and different allies successful the aftermath of the Afghan government’s collapse.

For weeks aft and contempt mounting grounds that the U.S. had wrongly killed the 10 Ahmadis, the Pentagon maintained it had taken retired a imaginable Islamic State operative. It wasn’t until mid-September that U.S. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, caput of U.S. Central Command, called the onslaught a “tragic mistake” and said that guiltless civilians were so killed successful the attack.

The Pentagon reappraisal subsequently recovered determination were breakdowns successful connection successful the process of identifying and confirming the people of the bombing.

“My children are each gone. No 1 tin bring them back,” Romal said.