The US military said multiple errors led to the attack in which 10 members of a family were killed. (Representative)
Kabul:
An Afghan family that lost 10 members, including seven children, in a US drone strike on a home in Kabul says it is still seeking justice and has yet to hear from Americans more than two months after the tragedy.
The US military has said a series of errors led to the attack, which was believed to have targeted an ISIS suicide bomber at Kabul airport, an imminent threat to US-led troops.
The man who hit it off, Zamrai Ahmadi, was actually working for the US-based NGO Nutrition and Education International (NEI). US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called Ahmadi’s activities “harmless” and the Pentagon said it was considering compensation.
“Justice must be done,” Zamrai’s younger brother, Ajmal Ahmadi, told Reuters at the family home on August 29 by a Hellfire missile fired by a US drone.
Ajmal said, “They (USA) had promised that they would take them (those involved in the strike) to court. They had promised compensation… They had promised that they would expel us (from Afghanistan). “
Speaking in a crowded residential area near Kabul airport – recently the scene of the chaotic evacuation of thousands of people fleeing the Taliban – he also expressed disappointment that he has yet to receive a response from US officials.
Defense Department spokesman Lt Col Santiago said it was taking steps to respond to the airstrike.
“In order to help protect the privacy of their family members as well as protect their safety and security, we are not able to provide further details about these efforts at this time,” Santiago said.
The Pentagon previously said it was considering making bereavement payments to the family and would work with the State Department to relocate family members to the United States who wish to leave.
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which is representing the NEI, urged Washington to act.
“Family members have repeatedly asked for meaningful transparency and accountability for the wrongful killings of their loved ones, but they have not found it through a Pentagon investigation,” said Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project.
Affected family members and NEI employees are at high risk as a result of US government actions and should be evacuated immediately.
Children visit the graves of siblings
The drone strike comes days after an ISIS suicide bomber killed 13 US soldiers and killed a large number of Afghan civilians outside airport gates desperate to secure seats on evacuation flights.
On 15 August, Taliban insurgents entered the capital and seized power with barely a single fight, after the American-trained Afghan army melted away.
Last week, an investigation by the US Army Inspector General said that although the strike was a mistake, it was not a case of criminal negligence and did not recommend disciplinary action.
Errors included not paying attention to the presence of a child minutes before the strike.
The child was one of the many people who were on the premises when the missile struck, destroying an entire family. It killed Zamrai and his three children – Zameer, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 12.
Two of Zamrai’s brothers also lost their children: Arveen, seven, Bin Yameen, six, Malika, three, along with Ayat and Sumaya, both of whom were said to be two years old. His sister’s 28-year-old child, who was visiting, also died.
The family is struggling to reconcile what happened.
“Even the sandals that were burnt, we have kept them,” Ajmal said. He said the women of the family still hug and kiss the burnt shoes. “They (women) are in bad shape.”
The family has moved out of the house, as living there brought back many memories for the survivors.
Ajmal said the survivors often asked adults to visit the graves of their siblings and cousins.
Seven-year-old Ada never misses an opportunity to visit the graveyard where her younger sister Malika is buried.
She sits by the tomb, prays and cleans the dust from the epitaph, which reads: “I ask, ‘Why did you leave, it was not our destiny’ – they say, ‘What can we do? Such is the fate’.”
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