UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative in Afghanistan, Herve De Lys, said at least seven children were killed in the Afghan capital of Kabul during a drone strike carried out by the US military.
On Sunday, the US carried out drone strikes against the ISIS-K terrorist group in Kabul and other areas of Afghanistan, allegedly killing high-ranking members of the group.
“The number of children that we are able to report… is seven children that have been killed. We don’t know who is behind the strike”, De Lys said in a press briefing.
According to the Tribune News Service, 10 people were killed, including no fewer than seven children. The deceased Ezmari Ahmadi’s brother Emal said on Monday. Among the dead were Ahmadi, 40, who the family said worked for a Southern California-based charity; a 25-year-old nephew who was about to be married; and five kids, who were 5 years old or younger.
Ezmari Ahmadi resided in Khwaja Burgha, a working-class neighbourhood a few kilometres west of Kabul’s airport.
US forces, which completed their pull-out from Afghanistan on Tuesday, said they launched a drone strike on Sunday that destroyed a car loaded with explosives and suicide bombers heading for the airport in Kabul. A terrorist attack in Kabul airport killed more than 180 people Thursday, including 13 US service personnel.
But the enraged relatives and neighbours of the deceased family questioned the claims of US forces.
“I want Joe Biden to know about this. Why do you attack these people and say it’s Daesh?” said Mohammad Fawad, a relative. Daesh refers to Islamic State as per the Arabic acronym.
“All of these kids were martyred,” Fawad said, scrolling through pictures of those killed on his phone. “Look at them. Which one of these people is Daesh? These people worked with the government – with the US and look at these kids. Do you think they’re Daesh?”
“They shouldn’t do this kind of action, killing civilians,” Emal Ahmadi said. “I lost my family.”
While the Pentagon reacted to the deaths with spokesman JohnF Kirby saying the US works hard to avoid civilian casualties and that there will be an investigation into the incident.
