The Pentagon decides not to impose sanctions on the military responsible for the drone attack that killed 10 civilians, including children, in Afghanistan

Posted:

December 13, 2021 22:59 GMT

The US military has acknowledged killing hundreds of civilians during its operations against suspected terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia in recent decades, but has rarely issued charges or sanctions against the individuals involved.

None of the US military involved in a drone attack in August 2021, which killed 10 civilians, including children, will face punishment. reach This Monday, AFP quoted the US Defense Department’s press secretary, John Kirby.

A spokesman for the entity stated that the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, “accepted the recommendations” of the investigation into the incident, and that its authors called for those responsible for the attack not to be punished. “defense minister […] Kirby stressed that he is not asking for additional accountability measures.

“What we observed was a breakdown in the process, in execution and procedural incidents, and not as a result of negligence, misconduct or poor leadership,” the entity spokesperson said, to also emphasize that if Austin believed ” […] If the responsibility is justified, it will certainly support such measures.”

On August 29, 2021, amid the withdrawal of the US military from Afghanistan done Drone attack on a vehicle allegedly threatening Kabul Airport. The operation resulted in the killing of 10 civilians, including 7 children. A few days later, the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Mark Milley, classified The “fair” act, which ensures that the army was able to eliminate the “facilitator” of the terrorist organization ISIS.

However, then the Pentagon I confess That all those killed in the drone attack were innocent victims not associated with ISIS, and did not pose a threat to US forces. It also offered compensation to the families of civilians in an unspecified amount. At the beginning of November, the investigation into the episode was announced Rule that the civilian deaths were not the result of improper actions or negligence, so no disciplinary action was recommended.

U.S. military to get to know Hundreds of civilians have been killed during their operations against suspected terrorist groups in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Somalia in recent decades. Although the Pentagon has accepted responsibility for misguided airstrikes or ground raids that killed innocent people, it has rarely issued charges or sanctions against the individuals involved.

One notable exception to this trend was the US Department of Defense’s decision to sanction at least ten military personnel for their role in an October 2015 air strike against a hospital in Afghanistan, which killed 42 people. It should be noted that, despite this decision, none of the military involved faced criminal charges.