Perspectives: The Errant US Drone Strike That Killed 10 Civilians in Kabul
Summary from the AllSides News Team
A U.S. drone strike that mistakenly killed 10 civilians in Kabul, Afghanistan has prompted criticism of the U.S. military and the Biden administration from across the spectrum. The Pentagon called the strike a "tragic mistake" Friday following an internal investigation. It was initially reported that the strike, which came days after the Kabul suicide bombing that killed over 170 people, killed terrorists who posed an imminent threat to Kabul's airport. The Air Force has been directed to appoint a general who will review the Pentagon's investigation. Among the 10 killed in the strike were seven children and a former U.S. aid worker.
Voices across the spectrum called for consequences for U.S. military leadership. Criticism of the strike was much more common from right-rated voices. Some compared the media's purportedly weak coverage of the mistake with the outrage that followed a drone strike that killed a top Iranian general last year, which was authorized by former President Donald Trump. Few left-rated voices published opinions about the strike; some left-rated outlets did publish "letters to the editor" from readers condemning it and urging leaders be held accountable.
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Center
Costly drone mistake bolsters doubts about Biden's Afghanistan strategy
From the first weeks of the Afghanistan war to its final days, U.S. officials repeatedly championed the use of aerial surveillance technology to distinguish friend from foe, fighter from civilian, and eliminate America’s enemies with pinpoint accuracy. The technology was heralded as a way to minimize civilian casualties and reduce the risks and costs of ground deployments. In practice, though, the U.S. military got it wrong — a lot — leading to high-profile civilian deaths and handing the Taliban a potent recruitment tool.
After weeks of hesitation, the Pentagon admitted Friday that it...
From the Right
A Tale of Two Drone Strikes
When then-President Trump ordered a strike that killed two leaders of two terrorist organizations with zero collateral damage, many in the media, academia, and Hollywood immediately condemned it as impulsive and dangerous. When President Biden ordered a drone strike against alleged ISIS-K members that instead killed an aid worker and his family, the reaction in those same quarters amounted to barely a reprimand.
The study in contrasts underscores just how differently the two presidents’ actions are filtered through the media and academia prisms.
Trump’s attack on January 3, 2020, killed the Islamic...
From the Left
The US military needs to do more than apologize for its deadly 'mistake' in Kabul
On August 29, a US drone strike killed 10 members of one family in Kabul. That same day, the Pentagon announced that the operation successfully targeted a suicide bomber affiliated with ISIS-K, who had allegedly filled a car with explosives as part of a suspected plan to attack the Hamid Karzai International Airport, where US troops raced to complete their evacuation operation a day before their deadline.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, had previously called the attack a "righteous strike," days after two bombing attacks outside the airport killed 13 US...
AllSides Picks
April 23rd, 2024
April 22nd, 2024
More News about Defense and Security from the Left, Center and Right
From the Left
From the Center
From the Right
