The Unspoken Tragedy: Civilian Drone Strikes In Afghanistan Claim Young Victims

Drone strikes in Afghanistan have been conducted by the United States government since 2001. In 2021, it was reported that at least 13,074 airstrikes had been carried out, resulting in the deaths of at least 4,138 people, including 310 civilians and 73 children.

On August 29, 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including seven children. This particular strike gained widespread attention as it occurred during the final hours of the American withdrawal that ended its 20-year war in Afghanistan. The Pentagon initially defended the strike but later acknowledged it as a tragic mistake.

The victims of the strike included Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for a US-based aid organisation, and nine members of his family. An investigation by the US Air Force found that the drone operators had misidentified Ahmadi's car as being linked to a terrorist group and had failed to spot a child in the surveillance footage before the strike.

US drone strikes in Afghanistan have killed at least 73 children since 2001

Since the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, drone strikes have been a recurring feature of the conflict. While the US justifies these strikes as a targeted killing campaign against militants, determining the precise count of total deaths, as well as civilian deaths, is challenging. The US government's reported numbers of civilian casualties are often far lower than independent estimates.

According to a 2021 report, US drone strikes in Afghanistan have killed at least 73 children since 2001. This figure represents a significant proportion of civilian deaths resulting from US airstrikes in the country.

In one tragic incident on August 29, 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including seven children. The strike targeted Zemari/Zemarai Ahmadi, an aid worker and engineer for the charity Nutrition and Education International, who was incorrectly believed to be a facilitator for the Islamic State. Ahmadi was returning home from work and had pulled into the courtyard of his family compound when the strike occurred. The car was packed with children who had come out to greet him. The strike resulted in a devastating scene of carnage, with bodies, burnt flesh, and bloodstained walls.

The Pentagon initially defended the strike, claiming that Ahmadi's car was loaded with explosives and posed an imminent threat to US troops at the Kabul airport. However, following investigations by media outlets and human rights organizations, the Pentagon acknowledged that the strike had been a "tragic mistake". The explosives in the car were likely water bottles, and there was no evidence of secondary explosions as initially claimed.

This incident underscores the devastating impact of US drone strikes on innocent civilians, particularly children, in Afghanistan. The US has faced widespread criticism and calls for greater transparency and accountability in its drone strike operations. Despite the Pentagon's admission of error in this case, the US has a long way to go to address the harm caused and prevent future tragedies.

A US drone strike in Kabul in August 2021 killed 7 children

On 29 August 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed 7 children and 3 adults. The attack was conducted by the Over-the-Horizon (OTH) Strike Cell group of the US Central Command. The target of the strike was a white 1996 Toyota Corolla carrying Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker for Nutrition and Education International, a California-based aid group. The car was mistaken for a vehicle carrying explosives by the US military, which believed that subsequent attacks from ISIS were imminent.

The day of the attack, Ahmadi ran errands for his employer, including picking up a laptop and delivering water. When he stopped at a compound erroneously believed to be an ISIS safe house, six Reaper drones surrounded the compound. At 4:53 PM, a single Hellfire missile was launched, killing 7 children and 3 adults.

The United States military initially denied the allegations, asserting that the vehicle targeted in the strike had visited an Islamic State safe house and that there had been secondary explosions indicating the presence of explosives at the scene. However, eyewitnesses and independent investigations disproved this statement. Three weeks later, the US confirmed that the target of the strike was a Toyota Corolla carrying aid workers and that only civilians had been killed in the strike.

The Pentagon admitted that the drone strike was a "tragic mistake" and offered unspecified amounts of monetary compensation to the families of the victims. Despite calls for a review of military practices and criticism of the lack of accountability, no US personnel faced disciplinary action for the attack.

The drone strike in Kabul highlights the challenges and consequences of targeted killing campaigns, particularly in densely populated areas. It underscores the importance of accurate intelligence, thorough investigations, and accountability to prevent civilian casualties and ensure protection for vulnerable groups, including children.

A US drone strike in Afghanistan in September 2019 killed at least 15 children

The United States has carried out multiple drone strikes in Afghanistan as part of its counter-terrorism campaign. The strikes aim to target militants and are based on intelligence and surveillance footage. However, determining precise counts of total casualties, including civilian deaths, is challenging due to the difficulty of accessing strike locations and the reliance on local media reports.

In the September 2019 strike, the US military claimed that the target was an Islamic State hideout, but Afghan officials confirmed that civilians, including children, were among the casualties. This incident underscores the complexities of conducting drone strikes in populated areas and the potential for tragic mistakes.

The US military initially denied allegations of civilian casualties in this strike, but later acknowledged the mistake after reviewing footage and conducting investigations. The strike occurred during a period of heightened tensions and military operations in Afghanistan, contributing to the challenging environment for making life-or-death decisions.

The US military's use of drone strikes has faced criticism from human rights organizations and scholars, who argue that it results in excessive collateral damage and raises legal and ethical concerns. The strikes have also led to increased scrutiny of the approval processes and accountability measures for such operations.

US drone strikes in Afghanistan between 2010 and 2020 killed over 70 children

The US has been conducting drone strikes in Afghanistan since 2001. Between 2010 and 2020, US drone strikes in Afghanistan killed over 70 children.

In 2021, the US conducted at least 13,074 airstrikes in Afghanistan, killing at least 4,138 people, including 310 civilians and 73 children.

On August 29, 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including seven children. The strike occurred during the chaotic final hours of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending its 20-year war in the country. The Pentagon initially defended the strike but later acknowledged it as a "tragic mistake".

The target of the strike was Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for a US-based aid organization. The Pentagon claimed that Ahmadi was a facilitator for the Islamic State and that his car was packed with explosives, posing a threat to US troops at the Kabul airport. However, it was later revealed that Ahmadi was an aid worker, and the "explosives" in his car were likely water bottles and containers he was bringing home to his family.

The US military faced widespread criticism for the strike, with human rights groups and lawmakers calling for greater accountability and transparency in drone warfare. The incident highlighted the challenges and consequences of counterterrorism strikes, particularly the unintended targeting of civilians.

To address civilian casualties, President Barack Obama implemented stricter targeting protocols during his administration, requiring “near certainty” of no civilian casualties for drone strikes in undeclared theaters of operations. This policy significantly reduced civilian casualties in Pakistan. However, President Donald Trump later relaxed these protocols, reverting to the more permissive "reasonable certainty" standard.

US drone strikes in Afghanistan are part of a targeted killing campaign against militants

Since the September 11 attacks, the United States has carried out drone strikes in Afghanistan as part of a targeted killing campaign against militants.

The US government has conducted multiple drone strikes in Afghanistan since January 2001, with the number of strikes increasing four to five times under the presidency of Donald Trump compared to the previous administration.

While the exact number of deaths is difficult to determine, independent estimates suggest that civilians made up between 7.27% to 15.47% of deaths in US drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia from 2009 to 2019.

In Afghanistan, US drone strikes have resulted in civilian casualties, including children. In August 2021, a US drone strike in Kabul killed 10 civilians, including seven children. This incident prompted an investigation by the US military, which acknowledged that the strike was a “tragic mistake”.

Another US drone strike in September 2019 intended to hit an Islamic State hideout in Afghanistan killed at least 30 civilians, including children.

The use of drone strikes by the US has been controversial, with critics arguing that it results in excessive collateral damage and a lack of transparency around civilian casualties.

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