Afghanistan, where U.S. troops are continuing to leave ahead of Tuesday’s withdrawal deadline. Earlier today, the U.S. military intercepted five rockets aimed at the Kabul airport, where the U.S. has evacuated 117,000 people fleeing Taliban rule since August 14th. Today’s rocket attack came four days after over 175 people died, including 13 U.S. troops, after a suicide bomber detonated a large explosive outside the airport. The militant group ISIS-K claimed responsibility, the archenemy of the Taliban. The New York Times is reporting the Pentagon is now publicly acknowledging that some of the people killed outside the airport Thursday might have been shot dead by U.S. servicemembers after the suicide bombing. One BBC reporter wrote on Twitter, quote, “Significant numbers of those killed were shot dead by US forces in the panic after the blast.”
Over the weekend, the U.S. carried out two retaliatory strikes: first a drone strike in Nangarhar province on Friday and then another drone strike on Sunday in Kabul. The Pentagon said Sunday’s drone strike targeted a vehicle carrying as many as three suicide bombers. But local residents said the strike killed as many as 10 Afghans from the same family, including as many as seven children. Five of the kids killed were 5 years old or younger. The New York Times reports the dead also included a former Afghan army officer who had worked as a contractor for the U.S. military, who had came to Kabul with hopes of being evacuated.
— source democracynow.org | Aug 30, 2021