U.S. Drone Strike in Kabul That Killed Civilians Including Children
On 29 August 2021, a drone strike conducted by the United States Central Command in Kabul, Afghanistan, killed ten civilians, including seven children. The strike occurred in a residential area near Hamid Karzai International Airport. Initial U.S. military statements asserted that the targeted vehicle was associated with an imminent threat. Subsequent reviews by U.S. military officials determined that the vehicle was operated by civilians and that the strike was a mistaken targeting decision. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of United States Central Command, described the outcome as a mistake after reviewing the available evidence. The U.S. Department of Defense acknowledged the civilian casualties and announced consideration of condolence payments to the families of those killed. Independent reporting and investigations confirmed that none of the victims were armed combatants at the time of the strike. The attack took place during the final phase of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan. No disciplinary actions against U.S. personnel involved in the operation were publicly announced following internal reviews.
The fatalities included an aid worker and members of his extended family. The incident was widely reported by international media and cited in official military briefings on the assessment of civilian harm. Investigations by the U.S. military cited breakdowns in communication and target identification in the decision to carry out the strike. The U.S. military’s non‑member observer status at the United Nations was not relevant to this incident, which was an operational action during military activities. Reports on civilian casualties from the U.S. war in Afghanistan have noted multiple incidents over the course of the conflict where unintended civilian deaths occurred.
