Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) responded to the revelation that a Biden Administration air strike killed 10 Afghan citizens. McCollum said, “The killing of Mr. Ahmadi and his family members was not an accident, it was deadly military malpractice.”
The killing of Mr. Ahmadi and his family members was not an accident, it was deadly military malpractice. https://t.co/hengPKvvbA pic.twitter.com/x2p10CnlqN
— Rep. Betty McCollum (@BettyMcCollum04) September 17, 2021
Ahmadi was a U.S. aid worker killed in the drone strike that killed ten Afghani citizens. As reported by The Tennessee Star, “the attack killed 10 civilians and that the targeted driver and vehicle were likely not a threat associated with the ISIS-K terror group, according to several news reports Friday.”
Initially, the government alleged that the target was ISIS-K members who may have posed a threat to the Kabul Airport. “U.S. military forces conducted a self-defense unmanned over-the-horizon airstrike today on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent ISIS-K threat to Hamad Karzai International Airport,” said US CENTCOM spokesman Capt. Bill Urban. “We are confident we successfully hit the target. Significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.”
In McCollum’s press release regarding the strike, she said, “I am calling on President Biden and Secretary of Defense Austin to hold accountable the military officials responsible for ordering this drone strike and the deaths of an innocent Afghan family.”
However, some held Biden directly responsible for the incident, like President Trump, saying “Biden conducted the strike to show his administration is ‘tough.’”
As was reported by The Star, former President Donald Trump said in a statement that, “They did this strike quickly, in order to show they are tough. Instead, they killed a USAID worker and many children. This is what happens when you have grossly incompetent people at the helm. The Afghanistan tragedy will further mark what should have been an honorable and dignified September 11th. The Administration’s surrender will go down in infamy.”
McCollum said, “This failure cannot be excused or justified by the ‘fog of war.’ Congress and the American people must demand accountability for the deaths of Mr. Ahmadi and his family.”
She condemned the use of violence, saying that the “power” that the United States military has against “adversaries.” She wrote, “Our military has the ability to use precise and overwhelming deadly force against our adversaries in the defense of our national security, but this power demands more than circumstantial assumptions when the consequences are life and death.”
– – –
Hayley Tschetter is a reporter with The Minnesota Sun and The Wisconsin Daily Star | Star News Network. Follow Hayley on Twitter or like her Facebook page. Send news tips to [email protected].
Photo “Betty McCollum” by Congresswoman Betty McCollum.
