Responding to the United States military’s admission that it killed 10 people, including seven children, in a drone strike in Kabul on 29 August, Brian Castner, Senior Crisis Advisor with Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Programme, said:
“This admission is an important step towards accountability for the killings in Kabul, but much more remains to be done.
“The US must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into this incident. Anyone suspected of criminal responsibility should be prosecuted in a fair trial. Survivors and families of the victims should be kept informed of the progress of the investigation and be given full reparation.
“It should be noted that the US military was only forced to admit to its failure in this strike because of the current global scrutiny on Afghanistan. Many similar strikes in Syria, Iraq, and Somalia have happened out of the spotlight, and the US continues to deny responsibility while devastated families suffer in silence.
“The US must ensure that it ends unlawful strikes, consistently and thoroughly investigates all allegations of civilians harmed in attacks, and publicly discloses its findings.”
The US must now commit to a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into this incident
Brian Castner, senior crisis advisor at Amnesty International
Background
On 29 August 2021, a drone strike by the US military killed 10 civilians, including seven children, in a residential neighbourhood in Kabul, Afghanistan.
Amnesty International is calling for full reparations for the relatives of those killed in the strike, as well as remedy for decades of civilian casualties as a result of US military operations – including compensation, restitution and rehabilitation.
Amnesty International is also calling on the US authorities to abide by international law in its future military conduct, not least as the President Biden administration is reportedly examining a policy on possible airstrikes outside of armed conflict.
CONTACT: Mariya Parodi, [email protected]