The U.S. carried out a “defensive airstrike via drone” in Kabul earlier today that allegedly took out a suspected ISIS-K car bomb:
The US carried out a defensive airstrike via drone in Kabul Sunday targeting a suspected ISIS-K car bomb that was targeting the airport, a US defense official tells @OrenCNN. The official said a significant secondary explosion indicated substantial amount of explosive material.
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 29, 2021
But there are reports of civilian casualties from the blast:
Nine members of one family were killed in US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of #Kabul, according to a relative of those killed. Those killed included six children, the brother of the one of the dead told a local journalist working with CNN
— Michael Holmes (@holmescnn) August 29, 2021
More from CNN:
Multiple members of the same family, including children, were killed in a US missile strike in Kabul, a relative of those killed tells CNNhttps://t.co/zREAtzuyv8 pic.twitter.com/rdIJzA6dcf
— CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) August 29, 2021
The Afghan Health Ministry told ABC News that 6 civilians were killed, including 4 children:
JUST IN: The US air strike in Kabul today killed six, including four children – according to an Afghan Health Ministry official to @ABC
— Julia Macfarlane 🇮🇩🏴 (@juliamacfarlane) August 29, 2021
Apparently, U.S. officials saw two people that determined to be ISIS terrorists loading the car with “what appeared to be explosives” and it was the secondary explosion that caused the possible civilian casualties:
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Context: A US official told ABC two ISIS terrorists were seen loading what appeared to be explosives into a car. The drone strike hellfire missile was not expected to have caused the scale of explosion in Kabul today. It may be that explosives caused secondary blasts @MattSeyler
— Julia Macfarlane 🇮🇩🏴 (@juliamacfarlane) August 29, 2021
Local journo Muslim Shirzad shared the names of the reported victims (he’s saying 9 were killed):
9 killed by U.S rocket attack today in Kabul, who are they?
1: Zemaray, Interpreter
2: Naseer, Army officer
2: Zameer, Shopkeeper
4: Faisal, Student
5: Farzad, Student
6: Ayat, 2 years old
7: Sumaya, 2 years old
8: Armin, 4 years old
9: Binyamen, 3 years old pic.twitter.com/pRajIF00Yd— Muslim Shirzad (@MuslimShirzad) August 29, 2021
He also shared video that he says is of the aftermath of the attack (Warning: Graphic footage):
Footage: Kabul-U.S. rocket attack
9 people, including 6 children killed. I want to confirm with complete responsibility, they were not members of IS-K. pic.twitter.com/6arU5s1tkY
— Muslim Shirzad (@MuslimShirzad) August 29, 2021
The Pentagon is now investigating:
"We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul today,” Centcom says, referring to reports Afghan children killed. Explosive in suicide bombers’ vehicle the US targeted “may have caused additional casualties. … investigating further.” https://t.co/XrNZ23Q7VJ pic.twitter.com/lHYXfmHoBf
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 29, 2021
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