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Afghan victims of an errant US drone strike are seeking to be questioned

Survivor of a U.S. drone strike which killed 10 family members demanded that the responsible parties be punished Saturday, and that Washington's apology wasn't enough.

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Afghan victims of an errant US drone strike are seeking to be questioned

Emal Ahmadi, Emal's 3-year-old daughter Malika, was among the victims of the Aug. 29 strikes, stated that the family is also seeking financial compensation and relocation to the United States.

That day, an American hellfire missile hit the car Ahmadi's brother Zemerai was driving into the Ahmadi family compound. Children ran to greet him. The strike claimed the lives of 10 family members, seven of whom were children.

U.S. Marine General Frank McKenzie, head U.S. Central Command called Friday's strike a "tragic error" and stated that innocent civilians were killed in the attack.

Initial defense of the strike by the U.S. military was that it targeted an Islamic State group's facilitator and prevented militants from carrying out attacks during chaotic last stage of NATO and U.S. troop withdrawals from Afghanistan.

There were quickly differences between military accounts of the strike and ground reports. According to the Associated Press and other news outlets, the target vehicle's driver was a former employee of a U.S. humanitarian organisation. Despite the Pentagon's claim that the vehicle was explosively laden, there were no signs of a secondary explosion.

A suicide bombing by IS, a rival to the Taliban, had left 169 Afghans dead and 13 U.S. military personnel injured at the Kabul airport gates in late August. The drone strike came after that attack. Many Afghans were trying to flee from the Taliban at that time and crowded the airport gates hoping to board evacuation flights.

McKenzie apologized and stated that the United States will consider making reparation payments for the families of the victims.

Emal Ahmadi said to the AP Saturday that he wanted the U.S. investigation into who fired the drone, and to punish those responsible.

Ahmadi, who had heard about the U.S. apology from American friends, said that "That's not enough for us say sorry." "The U.S.A. must find the person responsible."

Ahmadi stated that he was relieved to receive an apology and that the family members he lost had been recognized as innocent victims. However, this will not bring them back. Ahmadi stated that he was disappointed that no one called his family from the U.S. despite numerous requests.

As he sat next to the charred remains of his brother's car, he looked tired.

The accounts of the family and documents from colleagues, as well as the scene at Zemerai’s home where the missile struck, were all strongly contradictory to the U.S. military's accounts.

They instead painted a picture of a family who had worked for Americans, and were trying visas to the U.S. to escape Taliban terror.

Zemerai Ahmadi, the breadwinner of the family, looked after Emal and his children.

Emal Ahmadi said, "Now I am the one responsible for all my family members and I am jobless." Ahmadi described the Taliban's life as "not good".

International aid organizations and the United Nations warned of a humanitarian crisis that could force most Afghans to the poverty line.

McKenzie stated that the decision to strike the white Toyota Corolla sedan after tracking it for eight hours was made in an "earnest believe" -- based upon a standard of "reasonable certainty" -- that the car posed an imminent danger to American forces at Kabul's airport. He said that the car had explosives in its trunk.

Ahmadi was astonished that Ahmadi's family home could have been mistakenly thought to be an Islamic State hideout.

He said that the U.S.A. could see from anywhere. "They can see that innocent children are near the car and inside the car. This should result in criminal prosecution.

He said, "It's not right."

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