Shortly after the attack, US officials claimed that a “senior al-Qaeda leader” had been killed by the Predator drone, although they provided no supporting evidence or identified the victim. victim.
According to the Washington Post, Lotfi Hassan Misto, 56, was a victim of the strike. A US official told the Post, “We are no longer sure we killed a senior AQ official. We believe that person is al-Qaeda,” added a second US official, “even though we believe the attack did not kill the original target.”
The Pentagon has kept silent about the attack and has released no details about who their target was, whether the target managed to flee, or what evidence they had that Misto was an al-Qaeda terrorist. According to Central Command spokesman Michael Lawhorn, “Centcom takes all such allegations seriously and is investigating to determine whether the action may have unintentionally caused harm to civilians.”
In August 2021, during President Joe Biden’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, the Biden administration claimed to have “conducted an unmanned airstrike today over the Horizon Self-Defense Force on a vehicle in Kabul, eliminating an imminent threat from the Islamic State against Hamad Karzai International Airport.” This incident is reminiscent of that strike.
The administration said, “We are confident that we have successfully hit the target. There was a significant amount of explosive material present, as evidenced by the large secondary explosions from the vehicle.
But weeks later, the administration acknowledged that the drone attack was a sad mistake that resulted in the deaths of 10 civilians, including seven children.
The mistake made by the Biden administration is shocking and tragic. This is another example of how drone strikes can end in terrible tragedy and raises questions about the wisdom of relying too heavily on drones for military operations.
It’s important to remember that while this particular strike was a mistake, drone strikes have been used to good effect in combat zones for decades and were an integral part of President Obama’s successful strategy against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. But mistakes are inevitable, and we must never forget that when we launch any military operation, there will be consequences, both intended and unintended.
We would like to know your opinion on this article. Please leave a comment below detailing what you think the Biden admin is killing the wrong man and what you think should be done in the future regarding drone strikes.