WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – A video analysis shows the United States may have targeted an aid worker rather than Daesh terrorists in its final strike in Afghanistan which killed 10 civilians, The New York Times said Friday.
The Pentagon has alleged it disrupted a new attack planned by Daesh terrorists group through a Reaper drone strike on August 29 -- the day before U.S. troops ended their 20-year mission and following a devastating attack outside the airport where vast crowds rushed to leave the victorious Taliban.
But Kabul resident Aimal Ahmadi earlier told AFP that the strike killed 10 civilians including his small daughter, nephews, nieces and his brother Ezmarai Ahmadi, who was driving the car that was struck after he parked.
The New York Times, analyzing security camera footage, said the U.S. military may have been seeing the slain Ahmadi and a colleague loading canisters of water, which was in short supply after the collapse of the Western-backed government, and picking up a laptop for his boss.
Ezmarai Ahmadi was an electrical engineer for the California-based aid and lobbying group Nutrition and Education International and himself was among thousands of Afghans who had applied for resettlement in the United States, relatives said.
U.S. officials say that a larger blast took place after the drone strike, showing that there were explosives in the vehicle.
But the New York Times investigation said there was no evidence of a second explosion, with only one dent on a nearby gate and no clear signs of an additional blast such as blown-out walls.
Aimal Ahmadi earlier told AFP that 10 civilians were killed. U.S. officials have acknowledged three civilian deaths but argued that the hit prevented another alleged attack.