In Kabul airstrike, US hit aid worker not IS fighters

WASHINGTON: A video analysis shows the US may have mistakenly targeted an aid worker rather than Islamic State fighters in its final strike in Afghanistan which killed 10 civilians, The New York Times said on Friday.

The Pentagon has said it disrupted a new attack planned by the Islamic State extremist group through a Reaper drone strike on August 29 - the day before US troops ended their 20-year mission and following a devastating attack outside the Kabul airport that killed more than a 100 people.

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, analysing security camera footage, said the US 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 Westernbacked government, and picking up a laptop for his boss.

Ezmarai Ahmadi was an electrical engineer for the Californiabased 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.

US 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 blownout walls. Commenting on the report, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that US Central Command “continues to assess” the strike but that “no other military works harder than we do to prevent civilian casualties”.

“As Chairman (Mark) Milley said, the strike was based on good intelligence, and we still believe that it prevented an imminent threat to the airport and to our men and women that were still serving at the airport,” Kirby said, referring to the top US general.

The New York Times noted that a rocket attack the following morning, claimed by the Islamic State group, was carried out from a Toyota Corolla similar to Ahmadi’s.

‘Taliban’s victory might embolden other groups’

The Taliban’s victory might embolden other groups in different parts of the world, United Nations secretary-general Antonio Guterres has warned, expressing worry over global terrorism.

He also asserted that dialogue with the militant group is “absolutely essential” as the UN wants the country to play a “constructive role” in international relations.