U.S. vows to pay relatives of Afghans killed in drone strike

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Defense Department said Friday that it is committed to offering condolence payments to relatives of the 10 radical who were killed successful an errant U.S. drone onslaught successful Kabul, Afghanistan, successful August.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said successful a connection that the Defense Department was besides moving with the State Department to assistance surviving household members relocate to the United States.

Kirby said the substance arose successful a gathering Thursday betwixt Dr. Colin Kahl, nether caput of defence for policy, and Dr. Steven Kwon, laminitis and president of the nonprofit radical Nutrition & Education International.

“Dr. Kahl reiterated Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s committedness to the families, including offering ex gratia condolence payments,” Kirby said. He did not accidental however overmuch wealth would beryllium offered.

On Aug. 29, a U.S. Hellfire rocket struck a car driven by Zemerai Ahmadi, who had conscionable pulled into the driveway of the Ahmadi household compound. In all, 10 members of the family, including 7 children, were killed successful the strike.

Weeks later, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, caput of U.S. Central Command, called the onslaught a “tragic mistake” and said guiltless civilians were so killed successful the attack.

During the gathering Thursday, Kwon told Kahl that Ahmadi had enactment with NEI for galore years, “providing attraction and lifesaving assistance for radical facing precocious mortality rates successful Afghanistan,” according to Kirby.

The U.S. subject initially defended the strike, saying it had targeted an Islamic State group’s “facilitator” and disrupted the militants’ quality to transportation retired attacks during the chaotic last signifier of the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan.

Discrepancies betwixt the military’s portrayal of the onslaught and findings connected the crushed rapidly emerged. The Associated Press and different quality organizations reported that the operator of the targeted conveyance was a longtime worker astatine a U.S. humanitarian organization. There were nary signs of a ample secondary blast, contempt the Pentagon’s assertion that the conveyance contained explosives.

The drone onslaught followed a devastating termination bombing by an Islamic State offshoot that killed 169 Afghans and 13 U.S. subject unit astatine 1 of the gates to the Kabul airdrome successful precocious August.

Last month, McKenzie said the United States was considering making reparation payments to the household of the drone onslaught victims.