No U.S. troops will be punished for botched Afghanistan drone strike, Pentagon rules

Car destroyed in botched U.S. strike.
(Image credit: HOSHANG HASHIMI/AFP via Getty Images)

No U.S. military personnel will be punished for the botched August drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan that killed 10 Afghan civilians, including seven children, defense officials said Monday, per NBC News.

A Pentagon review of the incident found that U.S. intelligence had tracked and then struck the wrong vehicle (a white Toyota) in what they believed were the beginnings of an ISIS-K-led attack on the Kabul airport, NBC News writes. The review concluded that the incident "did not violate any laws of war but left decisions on punishment up to the commanders," who recommend "no punishment for the troops involved." Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reportedly agreed with the two senior officials.

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Brigid Kennedy

Brigid Kennedy worked at The Week from 2021 to 2023 as a staff writer, junior editor and then story editor, with an interest in U.S. politics, the economy and the music industry.