A US drone strike killed 10 Afghan civilians in Kabul on Sunday. The US and its allies killed thousands of civilians since the war began.

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A US drone strike killed 10 Afghan civilians in Kabul on Sunday, reports said.

The US and its allies have killed thousands of civilians since the war began in 2001.

From US drone strikes in Afghanistan, it's estimated between 4,126 to 10,076 people have been killed since 2004.

By John Haltiwanger



A US drone strike in Kabul on Sunday killed 10 civilians, including several children, according to what family members and witnesses told the New York Times. The strike targeted a vehicle the US military said was filled with explosives set to be used in an ISIS-K attack.

The Pentagon said it's aware of reports of civilian casualties, but maintained that the strike "disrupted an imminent ISIS-K threat" to Hamid Karzai International Airport.

"We know that there were substantial and powerful subsequent explosions resulting from the destruction of the vehicle, indicating a large amount of explosive material inside that may have caused additional casualties. It is unclear what may have happened, and we are investigating further," Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesperson for US Central Command, said in a statement, adding that the US would be "deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life."

Such incidents have typified the experience of Afghans during America's 20-year war in the country.

The US and its allies have killed numerous Afghan civilians with airstrikes and drone strikes, facing consistent criticism from human rights groups over a lack of transparency surrounding such deaths.

From US drone strikes in Afghanistan alone, it's estimated between 4,126 to 10,076 people have been killed since January 2004, including between 300 to 909 civilians, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a UK-based organization that has tracked US drone strikes for years.

Under the Trump administration, in particular, there was a massive spike in civilian deaths in Afghanistan from airstrikes. This was linked to President Donald Trump relaxing the rules of engagement for airstrikes in 2017.

Airstrikes killed 700 civilians in Afghanistan in 2019 alone, per a December 2020 study from the Costs of War Project at Brown University.

"There were more weapons dropped from the air in 2018 and 2019 than at the height of US presence in Afghanistan in 2011," the report stated.

Civilian casualties in Afghanistan were hardly unique to the Trump era. From 2007 to 2016, for example, the US, its allies, and the Afghan government killed an average of 582 civilians per year. But the annual average of civilians killed increased by nearly 95% from 2017 through 2019 to 1,134.

After the Trump administration brokered a peace deal with the Taliban in February 20, airstrikes by the US and its international allies declined. This led to a drop in civilian deaths from such strikes. That said, during the first half of 2021 civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached record levels, according to a UN report from July, which came as the US and coalition forces withdrew troops. The report attributed 64% of all civilian casualties during that period to anti-government forces, including the Taliban.

Over the course of the war, it's estimated over 47,000 Afghan civilians were killed, according to the Costs of War project.

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