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Afghanistan
Kabul drone strike that killed 10 was 'a mistake' -Central Command head
2021-09-18
[Jpost] "Oops"? Remember all the "righteous strike" by Milley and breast beating by McKenzie? Resign NOW!
The Pentagon had said the Aug. 29 strike targeted an Islamic State suicide bomber who posed an imminent threat to US-led troops at the airport.

A drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children, the US military said on Friday, apologizing for what it called a "tragic mistake."
Posted by:Frank G

#18  Reading Besoeker's CIA/CNN press release...

It was too late. The warning (from the CIA) on August 29 came seconds before the missile hit the car, killing 10 civilians, including seven children.

You don't suppose this is actually a prank by the CIA to get over on the Army and remove them from further influence in Afghanistan? Might make it easier to conduct business.

"Hey, Bob, wanna punk the Army? I bet we can get them to dronezap some poor hapless goat herder."
"Better yet, some guy from an NGO doing "for the children stuff."
"Excellent! We can call off the op at the last second and make the Army look like murderous incompetents."
"I can't wait to see their faces!"

Nobody has eyes on the target. No procedure or mechanism to abort. The last second warning. Why am I suspicious?
Posted by: SteveS   2021-09-18 20:27  

#17   RE #16
A hot topic in the world of killer robots is whether you need a human in the loop to prevent accidents, rampages, and other "uncommanded excursions". I would suggest this list argues against the idea.

4. CIA apparently had no mission cancellation capability.
I use to work with a guy who seemed to know a lot about blowing stuff up. He was pretty adamant that you needed a way to make sure whatever mischief you were planning did not take place were circumstances to suddenly change.

Last thought: If your masterful public relations move ends you up in the Hague for war-crimes, you are doing the PR thing wrong.
Posted by: SteveS   2021-09-18 20:00  

#16  Agency waits until Gen Frank McKenzie, Cdr, CENTCOM releases drone strike "mistake" video to issue "we told you so" virtue signaling message through their CNN disinformation arm. Things we now know:

1. USN did the, highly touted "over the horizon" shooting.
2. CIA managed Joint Priority Effects List (JPEL) tool not utilized.
3. DoD and CIA both had 'eyes on target.'
4. CIA apparently had no mission cancellation capability.
5. USN, DoD, and possibly White House disregarded CIA 'last minute, last second' warning.
6. DoD maintained 'righteous strike' media profile until General McKenzie's news release.
7. White House and POTUS continue to say nothing.
8. Former CIA Director John Brennan is now a CNN strategic analyst.

Did I mention that former CIA Director John Brennan is now a CNN strategic analyst?

Link to CIA/CNN Release.
Posted by: Besoeker   2021-09-18 19:01  

#15  I've been telling everyone who ever bragged to me about voting for Bidet "You voted for that." Shuts em up every time.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2021-09-18 17:55  

#14  This clown show has come full circle.

Back in the day, Clinton had a chance to kill bin Laden and he deferred the attack based on good intel due to imagery that showed a swing-set near the OBL target area...thus, killing no terrorists (nor, kids for that matter I guess). The tragic result - OBL lives and directs the deadly 9/11 attack that brought about the invasion and occupation of Afghanistan...fast forward over two decades...all the way to the last act...the curtain call of the Afghanistan folly...Biden approves a strike based on terrible intel that kills at least 7 innocent kids and no terrorists...

No statement from the the SecDef on this matter either that I can find. I am fairly positive that he was the approving authority on this tragedy...I hope he see the pictures of those kids...I hope Biden does too.

Posted by: Tennessee   2021-09-18 15:41  

#13  Are these the same experts who are carefully vetting our newly imported terrorists?
Posted by: Gluter Mussolini5141   2021-09-18 13:48  

#12  Does anybody, anybody, believe that Biden gives a rat's rump who got killed? By now he's forgotten all about it. I don't believe there was any "intelligence" involved at all. They picked a random target and blasted it so they could claim they had avenged the attack at Kabul airport. The only mistake was not allowing for whatever factor caused NYT to spill the beans.
Posted by: Abu Uluque   2021-09-18 13:02  

#11  Ref #9: Where are the drones flown from? tajikistan? pakistan? china? I understand that we are completly out of afghanistan so where from?

Too bad the alleged 'bad guy and children' did not immediately flee to Benghazi. Nothing in our ordnance inventory can find it's way to Benghazi.

Posted by: Besoeker   2021-09-18 12:05  

#10  Factor in they are lying fuctards, it could be any sort of long distance loiter platform.

For the narrative, drone sounds good regardless.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2021-09-18 11:55  

#9  Where are the drones flown from? tajikistan? pakistan? china? I understand that we are completly out of afghanistan so where from?
Posted by: irish rage boy   2021-09-18 11:47  

#8  RE: #7
That's a point, Frank. Why is the NYT suddenly committing journalism? That *has* to be orchestrated.

But incompetent f*ckwaddery aside, I say we look on the bright side and note that they did actually manage to kill *someone*. Your tax dollars at work!
Posted by: SteveS   2021-09-18 11:02  

#7  Most interesting part? This was all exposed by NYTimes. What politics and backstabbing motivated that? Cuz you know it wasn't honest Jourolistic impulses. My money is on Klingons getting the goods on DOD and getting ahead of the blame game
Posted by: Frank G   2021-09-18 10:35  

#6  I'll keep my chips on Northern Alliance Contact.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2021-09-18 10:29  

#5  Pilot Error
Posted by: Skidmark   2021-09-18 09:23  

#4  What a bunch of F#$%^wads
Posted by: Deacon Blues   2021-09-18 08:26  

#3  When the Klingon's Eagle Base shut down, the Joint Priority Effects List (JPEL) was likely shut down as well. The "mistake" is the work of amateurs within DoD and the White House attempting to exact a news grabbing revenge strike against potential suicide vest plotters.

The strike appears to be have been sanctioned without supporting JPEL intelligence, or conducted with no US or Coalition intelligence at all. The work of politically motivated, knee-jerk amateurs.

Very, very sad.

Posted by: Besoeker   2021-09-18 03:04  

#2  Where are all the people who always want someone "frog marched out of the White House."
Posted by: M. Murcek   2021-09-18 00:59  

#1  Ten were killed in the attack, including Ahmadi, two adult family members, and seven children

This is still a lie from what I read when reports first started coming out a couple of weeks ago. Ahmadi handed the car keys to one of the kids when he got home to park the car for him in the drive way. He was working hard to get the story out to the world in the interview. What did they do, initially off him to shut him up since then???
Posted by: Ebbomoger Speaking for Boskone4589   2021-09-18 00:50  

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