Ten members of same family ‘killed in US drone strike’ in Kabul

Faces of some of the children who died in the explosion (Picture: Getty)

Six children are among 10 dead in a US drone strike near the airport in Kabul, according to relatives.

The casualties, from the same family, were killed when a car thought to belong to terror group Isis-K was struck on Sunday afternoon.

The US said Islamist suicide bombers who were planning to attack the airport were killed in the strike, but reports have suggested considerable civilian losses.

Those killed include Sumaya, aged two, and Zemarai Ahmadi and his sons Zamir, 20, Faisal, 16, and Farzad, 12.

Brother-in-law Najibullah Ismailzada said the family died in an explosion as Mr Ahmadi, 38, was greeted by his children upon returning home from work with a Korean charity.

Another of the dead, Ahmad Naser, had fought in the Afghan army and served as an interpreter for the American military.

Other victims held visas allowing them entry to the States and were awaiting a call telling them to go to the airport for evacuation from Afghanistan.

The youngest child to die was just two years old

The family members died when a car was struck by a US drone

A surviving relative of the victims, Ramin Yousufi, told the BBC: ‘It’s wrong, it’s a brutal attack, and it’s happened based on wrong information.

‘Why have they killed our family? Our children? They are so burned out we cannot identify their bodies, their faces.’

American military officials yesterday confirmed a drone targeted a vehicle with ‘multiple suicide bombers’ on their way to the airstrip where remaining soldiers and evacuees were gathered.

The US said it ‘would be saddened by any potential loss of innocent life’

Afghan children are said to have died when American military attempted ot take out Isis-K terrorists

But they added they were confident the threat had been eliminated without civilian casualties.

Addressing reporters this afternoon, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said intelligence pointed to a ‘very real, a very specific and a very imminent threat’ against the airport from Isis-K, the terrorist splinter cell which killed 13 American soldiers in a suicide bombing last week.

He said: ‘Make no mistake, no military on the face of the earth works harder to avoid civilian casualties than the United States military, and nobody wants to see innocent life taken.

As many as six children are believed to have been killed

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‘We take it very, very seriously and when we know that we have caused innocent life to be lost in the conduct of our operations, we’re transparent about it.’

US Central Command said in a statement: ‘We are aware of reports of civilian casualties following our strike on a vehicle in Kabul.

‘It is unclear what may have happened, and we are investigating further. We would be deeply saddened by any potential loss of innocent life.’

The US’s 20-year military engagement in Afghanistan ends tomorrow.

MORE : US drone strikes ‘multiple suicide bombers’ heading to Kabul airport

MORE : British Major vows rescue effort will continue despite ‘heartbreaking’ end to UK role in Afghanistan

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