Pentagon declassifies drone strike video that killed 10 Afghan civilians

The Pentagon has declassified and release footage from a U.S. drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed 10 civilians, including seven children.

The videos, from two MQ-9 Reaper drones, were released by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) after the New York Times filed a Freedom of Information Act request.

The drone strike took place on Aug. 29, during the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. An ISIS-K suicide bomber killed 13 U.S. soldiers and more than 180 Afghan civilians. 

Under pressure to prevent any more attacks before the withdrawal’s conclusion on Aug. 30, CENTCOM tracked a white Toyota Corolla it believed was being used to transport bombs by ISIS-K. The drone footage shows the car travelling down a residential street before it backed into a courtyard.

People are seen approaching the car before it is engulfed by a massive fireball that rocks the camera and surrounding neighborhood.

The military initially defended the strike, with Joint Chiefs Chairman Mark A. Milley infamously calling it “righteous.” But it backtracked and apologized as information emerged that the car’s driver was a civilian, as was everyone else killed by the drone strike.

Zemari Ahmadi, the target of the strike, worked for U.S.-based aid organization Nutrition and Education International. Three of his children were killed by the explosion, along with Ahmadi’s cousin, three of Ahmadi’s nephews, and two three-year old girls.

CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Bill Urban again apologized for the botched drone strike on Wednesday.

“While the strike was intended for what was believed to be an imminent threat to our troops at Hamid Karzai International Airport, none of the family members killed are now believed to have been connected to ISIS-K or threats to our troops,” he said. “We deeply regret the loss of life that resulted from this strike.”