Afghanistan: Ten members of one family, including several children, killed following US drone strike in Kabul, family says

The US military says it is still investigating reports of civilian deaths after it launched a drone strike on a vehicle believed to be an imminent threat heading to Kabul airport.

AFGHANISTAN AIRSTRIKE VICTIM MALIKA AHMADI, 2 YEARS OLD
Image: Malika Ahmadi, two, died in the drone strike, her family says
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Ten members of one Afghan family were killed following a US drone strike in Kabul, according to relatives.

The drone strike on Sunday was aimed at a vehicle carrying "a substantial amount of explosive material" and heading to Kabul airport, US officials said.

They said the strike had caused "significant secondary explosions" and that they were "continuing to assess the situation".

Video shows a building and several vehicles were damaged after a US strike in Kabul, Afghanistan. The US military said a drone destroyed a vehicle which was carrying “a substantial amount of explosive material”.
Image: The US said the strike had destroyed a vehicle carrying explosives heading to the airport

Zemaray Ahmadi, 36, was killed alongside his sons Zamir, Faisal and Farzad - aged 20, 16 and 12, his family said.

Six of his nieces and nephews are also said to have died; a boy and girl both aged two, girls aged five and seven, a six-year-old boy and a 28-year-old man.

Zemaray Ahmadi, 36, died in the US drone strike, his family says
Image: Zemaray Ahmadi, 36, died alongside his three sons and nieces and nephews, his family says
16-YEAR-OLD FAISAL AHMADI VICTIM OF 29 AUGUST U.S. AIRSTRIKE
Image: Faisal Ahmadi, 16, is also said to have died

The family said Mr Ahmadi had worked with a foreign organisation in Kabul for 10 years as a technical engineer.

The brother of one of the victims, Aymal Ahmad, told Sky News that "one of my brothers was working with westerners".

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"My demand from the international community is justice, whatever has happened shouldn't happen again, I don't care about President Biden or anyone else," he added.

"I lost 10 family members we used to eat together, what shall we do now? And our financial supporter was our brother who died in the attack."

US Army spokesman Major General William "Hank" Taylor described the drone strike as an "unmanned, over-the horizon airstrike on a vehicle known to be an imminent ISIS-K threat".

Aymal Ahmad lost 10 members of his family to the drone strike
Image: Aymal Ahmad lost 10 members of his family to the drone strike

"This self defence strike successfully hit the target near Kabul airport," he said at The Pentagon on Monday.

"Significant secondary explosions from the targeted vehicle indicated the presences of a substantial amount of explosive material.

"We are aware of reports of civilian casualties and we take these reports very seriously and we are continuing to assess the situation."

The drone strike followed last week's suicide bombing at Kabul airport - which killed 13 US service members, three Britons and scores of Afghans hoping to flee after the Taliban takeover.

Everything you need to know about the Taliban takeover
Everything you need to know about the Taliban takeover

A separate retaliatory drone strike on Saturday killed two "planners and facilitators" for the ISIS-K group, according to US officials.

The group, a regional affiliate of Islamic State, carried out the suicide attack - and also claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on the airport on Monday

"As many as five rockets were fired," Major General Taylor told reporters.

He said three had "landed off the airfield with no effect", one was intercepted by a missile defence system, while the other landed "with no effect to the mission or any danger to our personnel".

Although there have been no injuries reported, some of the rockets did appear to hit apartments near the airport, according to witnesses cited by the Associated Press.

IS claimed that it had fired six rockets.

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Aftermath of rockets fired at Kabul airport

It comes as American's remaining personnel are due to leave Afghanistan on Tuesday, bringing an end to days of airlifts and chaotic scenes prompted by the Taliban's rapid takeover.

Efforts to bring back Britons and people who had helped the UK's mission ended on Friday.

Labour said thousands could have been left behind, but Foreign Office minister James Cleverly told Sky News it is "impossible" to say how many people are left in Afghanistan who are eligible to come to Britain.

He said the government hoped to work with the Taliban to ensure the safe passage of Afghans out of the country

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Govt 'sceptical' of Taliban commitments - Cleverly

However, he said he was "sceptical" about claims there would not be reprisals and that people wouldn't be blocked from leaving.

The Taliban takeover came after Western countries began withdrawing their final troops, with President Biden following through on a Trump pledge to end America's presence in Afghanistan.

A statement on Monday from The Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS pledged to continue efforts to "ensure the defeat of this brutal terrorist organization".

A family walks towards a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III during an evacuation at Hamid Karzai International Airport, Afghanistan, August 22, 2021. Picture taken August 22, 2021.  U.S. Marine Corps/Sgt. Samuel Ruiz/Handout via REUTERS.  THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION HAS BEEN PROVIDED SEPARATELY.
Image: America's programme of airlifts from Kabul is ending

The coalition of more than 80 countries said it was focused on using "military, intelligence, diplomatic, economic, law enforcement" means to defeat the group and its affiliates.

Dominic Raab, the UK foreign secretary, tweeted that the coalition mourned the victims of the Kabul attack and would fight ISIS "by all means available, wherever they operate".