The New York Instances released an article on Friday containing a half-complete doc from US Central Command which investigated a failed drone strike in Afghanistan. 66 pages of the unclassified doc had been launched to the New York Instances, containing redactions, after a Freedom of Data Act (FOIA) lawsuit.
The investigation was instigated shortly after the drone strike, which killed ten civilians, however was by no means accomplished. The Division of Protection didn’t provide any additional feedback, having beforehand labelled it a “tragic mistake.” A earlier army investigation found that the strike was brought on by errors, not legal negligence.
The investigation centered on the August 29, 2021, assault close to the Kabul Airport, the place the Division of Justice had acquired intel {that a} white Toyota Corolla held a bundle containing explosives. The Division of Protection had accredited an American MQ-9 Reaper drone to shoot a Hellfire missile on the automobile.
The instant response from the Division of Protection was that that they had efficiently stoped an assault; nevertheless, it was later made evident that the drone strike was a tragedy. The report reveals that the US army knew of civilian casualties by 2 AM the next morning, and this was detailed within the report on web page 222. Lots of the sworn statements included all through the doc element issues for civilian casualties after the strike occurred. The Division of Protection didn’t problem an official assertion recognizing the lack of civilian life till mid-September.
New articles from the New York Times discover the function of affirmation bias within the drone strike, and closely criticize the Division of Protection and US army for not being extra forthright with their data and findings. There are nonetheless quite a lot of pages from the investigation which aren’t obtainable to most of the people.
