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Where does the buck stop, again? Does it still stop with Joe Biden? If so, what can he possibly do or say to make this any better?
After weeks of speculation, and an extensive investigation by the New York Times, the Biden administration finally confirmed what had been suspected from the very beginning: drone strike #2, allegedly to stop a second ISIS-K attack on the Kabul airport, ended up targeting and killing an innocent family, including SEVEN CHILDREN.
“We now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K or a direct threat to US forces,” (United States Central Command Gen. Kenneth F.) McKenzie said of the airstrike at a briefing, following an investigation by the Military.”
“This strike was taken in the earnest belief that it would prevent an imminent threat to our forces and the evacuees at the airport, but it was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology,” Mckenzie said, adding that he is “fully responsible for this strike and this tragic outcome.”
The drone strike, which was intended to target ISIS-K operatives, resulted in the deaths of an aid worker and up to nine of his family members, including seven children. According to U.S. officials, the strike on the vehicle, formerly believed to have been a threat that included bombs and that was operated by ISIS-K militants, took place after a suicide bombing at Kabul airport in Afghanistan killed 13 U.S. service members and civilians.”
General McKenzie, at the Pentagon briefing, took “full responsibility” for the drone strike. But what does that mean in reality?
BREAKING: Gen. McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, to announce no ISIS-K fighters killed in U.S. drone strike in Kabul Aug 29. 10 civilians killed, including 7 children in Toyota. No disciplinary action expected, officials say. US military stands by intel leading to strike.
— Lucas Tomlinson (@LucasFoxNews) September 17, 2021
Got that, everyone? “No disciplinary action expected.” Sure, ten innocent people are dead, including seven children, but really, we did our best with zero intelligence on the ground and so that’s our bad.
So much for that “over the horizon” capability. Joe Biden sure did love this strike when it happened. General Mark Milley’s statements from September 1st about this being a “righteous strike” that was reviewed and vetted now look extremely bad, if not downright deceptive. Senator Rand Paul, who took Secretary of State Blinken to task about this drone strike (which, considering the timeline of admission, Blinken HAD to have known about the colossal screw-up by the time Paul was asking him these questions last Tuesday), had some VERY important questions after this admission that need answering.
Obama authorized individual drone killings. Is it unreasonable to ask if Biden approved this killing of an aid worker and 7 children? https://t.co/3rlb3KbutT
— Senator Rand Paul (@RandPaul) September 18, 2021
Again, WHERE DOES THE BUCK STOP? Who made this call? General McKenzie takes responsibility, but WHO authorized the strike? There is no responsibility without accountability! Team Biden wanted to get some revenge for the suicide attack on the Kabul airport that killed 13 of our military, but WHO. MADE. THE. CALL. Senator Paul is correct – we should know if Joe Biden personally authorized this drone strike.
Too bad he left for the beach on Friday afternoon. Presidenting when you’re almost 80 is HARD, you know. Weekends at home in Delaware are a must, where he can eat cartons of ice cream in peace under Jill’s watchful eye. So maybe the press can ask Jen Psaki? Um, nope, there was no Friday press briefing. How convenient!
So perhaps the Biden administration plans on putting whatever spin out on the drone strike via the Sunday shows tomorrow? NOPE. It’s going to be a massive COVID push, because it’s easier to dodge and weave about booster shots than it is to explain blowing up small children.
Fauci on three shows tho! https://t.co/SNONIjljx3
— Jerry Dunleavy (@JerryDunleavy) September 18, 2021
No one is going to be asking Fauci or Collins about a drone strike in Kabul. Again, how convenient! ABC plans on having retired Admiral Mike Mullen on – will they talk about the drone strike? Maybe, but there is NO ONE from either State or Defense showing up. They know they’ve fubar’d this situation, and all they are willing to say at this point is “sorry, our bad.” That should not be acceptable, but Team Biden is hoping to just avoid questions until the media finds another shiny object to distract them.
Here’s a test for you. If Donald Trump’s administration had killed civilians in a drone strike while attempting to get Qasem Soleimani, do you think the press would let it go? Do you think Congress would let it go? And since we all know the answer to that, why are they willing to let the Biden administration walk away from droning innocent children with a pathetic apology?
Sadly, we all know the answer to that, too.
Featured image via Pixabay, cropped and modified, Pixabay license
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Hate_me says: Please correct the phrase “innocent family,” as it should read “American ally and his family.”
AF JAG retired says: From what we know now, if I had been the appropriate Staff Judge Advocate I wouldn’t have recommended disciplinary action either. What happened is part of the brutal reality of war. There is no evidence of bad faith on the part of the drone crew. They had to decide whether to attack based on incomplete information, suggesting, but not proving, that a terror attack was underway. That attack would have been against thousands of desperate civilians and would probably have killed over 100 and wounded many times more. The choice, as it appeared at the time, was not between attacking and endangering civilians, or not attacking and saving them. The choice was between attacking and endangering some civilians or not attacking endangering others, perhaps many more. I’m tired of Rand Paul’s pious snark on matters he’s never personally faced and has no moral authority to comment upon.
That said, Biden bears major responsibility for creating this situation. His irrational decision to leave by the end of August, come what may, created the desperate mob at the airport, a target for terrorists too good to pass up. The decision to use the airport, in a populated area, as the sole exit meant that any terror attacks would be mounted in the midst of civilians, who would necessarily be endangered by any counter-terror strikes. All this was foreseeable and could have been avoided in a more carefully planned and executed operation. But that would have interfered with Joe’s photo op on 9/11/21.
Hate_me says: I don’t believe anyone is pointing fingers at the drone team. The order to fire seems undeniably lawful.
The issue at hand is upon what information the authority acted in giving the order, which is highly questionable and little different from a gate guard opening up on a random car approaching the gate or a guy in the cupola shooting some random dude carrying a shovel – that there’s an off-chance they could be looking to cause harm.
Political expedience seems to have undermined due process and the ROE.
AF JAG retired 2 says: AF JAG retired, are you kidding me? Nobody is saying the drone crew acted improperly. They were acting on orders from above and probably acted in good faith, maybe even with JAG blessing. The question is who “above” gave that order and based on what intelligence. More to the point, what were the extant ROE concerning a drone strike in a highly populated area and on what degree of certainty. None of those questions are being asked by our democratic operatives [otherwise known as the media.] Another question not asked or answered, and most likely forgotten, was about drone strike #1. No details or even names are being provided. Another family? Another “mistakes were made?”
AF JAG retired 2 says: As an addendum, knowing the drone crews, I suspect this particular crew is going through some real gut wrenching depression now knowing who they killed. Do you think any of their “superiors” are similarly suffering or, maybe just worried about possible future downgrades on their performance reports … you know there will never be any real accountability.
Lemuel Vargas says: The Taliban might have given the Americans faulty intelligence in order to protect those ISIS – K operatives because they are Muslims like themselves and thus must be protected. And the Americans swallowed it hook line and sinker.
[…] Victory Girls Blog: Biden Team Staying Quiet About Drone Strike. […]
Frank McCarthy says: What can you say? I this horrendous case there is nothing you can say,
“Sorry”, “Oops”!, “Damn”. Nothing you come up with absolves anything, the burnt pieces of 7 little children
were sent prematurely as martyrs, with god on that road waiting for their arrival to heaven.
Not sure why reaper-drones are still being used as offensive weapons. One day they may be outlawed,
Observation and recon is ok but as kill-shot, not worth all the “mistakes”.
[…] hits straight to the chin. The drone strike that he once lauded as taking out ISIS-K in Kabul? Innocent civilians killed, including seven children. Those COVID booster shots that Biden had promised were coming? The FDA […]
[…] can’t help but wonder what the next revelation could possibly be. After all, we’ve had innocent people droned and no one at fault at the Pentagon, thousands of American citizens and permanent residents left […]
[…] aside the innocents killed in that final drone strike in Kabul, that not one person has been held accountable for, Joe Biden now wears the blood of […]
[…] the incompetence, they can’t explain the reaction that followed (remember that the administration droned an entire civilian family and initially claimed it was in retaliation for the bombing), and they never fired anyone for what […]
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