US strike may have killed aid worker: NYT

KABUL (Pajhwok): US drone strikes may have mistakenly killed an aid worker rather than Islamic State-Khorasan Province (ISKP) fighters in Afghanistan.

The airstrikes came after a suicide bomb attack, claimed by the ISKP, killed more than 170 Afghans and 13 US military personnel near the Kabul airport on August 26.

A video analysis by the New York Times suggests the August 29 US airstrike in Kabul might have mistakenly targeted an aid worker rather than ISIS-K members.

The US claimed the strike was successfully targeted at ISIS-K militants, who were preparing another suicide attack at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.

But in its video analysis, the New York Times claimed the American attack could have killed the aid worker.

Earlier, Kabul resident Aimal Ahmadi had alleged the drone strike had killed 10 civilians, including his young daughter, nephews, nieces and his brother Ezmarai Ahmadi.

According to AFP, Ezmarai Ahmadi was an electrical engineer working for the California-based aid group Nutrition and Education International.

Scanned by NYT experts, security camera footage reportedly revealed there was a possibility that the US might have seen Ahmadi and his colleague loading water canisters in the vehicle.

The US had also defended the drone strike saying there was a second blast followed by the strike, which proved the targeted vehicle was full of explosives.

However, the newspaper claimed there was no evidence of a second blast. T said there was only one dent on a nearby gate and the lack of any blown-out walls or any other sign prove that there was no second blast that day.

On the other hand, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby ejected the New York Times report and insisted there was a real threat to the airport.

The strike had prevented an imminent threat to the airport and to American security personnel who were still serving at the airport.

PAN Monitor/mud

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