{"id":58378,"date":"2021-12-14T18:55:15","date_gmt":"2021-12-14T18:55:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:55:25","slug":"afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/","title":{"rendered":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KABUL, Afghanistan \u2014 The Afghan survivors of an errant U.S. drone strike that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/09\/02\/us-defends-strike-that-afghan-family-says-killed-innocents\/\" target=\"_blank\">killed 10 members of their family<\/a> in August said Tuesday they are frustrated and saddened that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/12\/13\/no-military-personnel-will-be-punished-for-afghanistan-air-strike-that-killed-10-civilians\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. troops involved in the attack will not face disciplinary action<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, three of Ahmadi\u2019s brothers spoke of their loss, sitting just a few feet from where the missile struck Aug. 29. They said that to this day, they have heard nothing from Washington about financial compensation or when they would be evacuated from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5736\" height=\"3801\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg 5736w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg?resize=300,199 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg?resize=768,509 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,679 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1018 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348449380989.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1357 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5736px) 100vw, 5736px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">From left to right, Ajmal Ahmadi, Emal Ahamdi, and Romal Ahmadi, three brothers of Zemerai Ahmadi who was one of ten family members who was killed in an errant U.S. drone strike in August, stand in front of a banner that reads in Dari, &#8220;Martyrs of Ahmadi family,&#8221; over the gate of the Ahmadi family home, in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Dec. 14, 2021. (Khwaja Tawfiq Sediqi\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ahmadi, 37, was a longtime employee of an American humanitarian organization. The strike that killed him and his family members came following the Taliban takeover of the country in mid-August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It also came just days after an Islamic State group suicide bomber <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/08\/26\/explosion-outside-kabul-airport-casualties-unknown\/\" target=\"_blank\">killed 13 U.S. troops and 169 Afghans at a Kabul airport gate<\/a>. U.S. forces believed that the car they were following was an imminent threat and decided to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since the strike, the Ahmadis had demanded that those responsible be punished and that they be relocated to the United States or a third country deemed safe for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Monday, the Pentagon said that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had approved recommendations for improvements in strike operations from the generals who lead U.S. Central Command and Special Operations Command, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/breaking-news\/2021\/11\/03\/watchdog-finds-no-misconduct-in-mistaken-afghan-airstrike\/\" target=\"_blank\">based on the findings of an independent Pentagon review released last month<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But&nbsp;there were no recommendations for discipline made by the generals, according to John Kirby, chief Pentagon spokesman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Kirby said the U.S. was still ready <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2021\/10\/17\/us-vows-to-pay-relatives-of-afghans-killed-in-drone-strike\/\" target=\"_blank\">to pay financial compensation<\/a> to the Ahmadis and potentially get them out of Afghanistan. Asked why it was taking so long, Kirby said the U.S. wanted it done as safely as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the Ahmadis, every day they remain in Kabul puts them at risk. Rumor on the street has it that the U.S. has already paid them and criminals are eager to get their hands on the money, said Emal Ahmadi. His 3-year-old daughter Malika was killed in the strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They are also getting phone threats, added Emal, the youngest of the brothers. The callers threaten to kill them if they don\u2019t give them money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cPeople are always asking us how much money we got,\u201d Emal added. As for the U.S. promises to evacuate the family, \u201cwe are waiting. We have heard nothing. &#8230; The longer it takes, the more dangerous it is for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Romal Ahmadi, whose three children aged 2-7 years were killed in the strike, the days are a blur of depression and pain. \u201cI feel only pain,\u201d he said. He wants the U.S. troops behind the strike punished.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cBut America is a superpower,\u201d Romal said. \u201cWe are powerless to do anything so we leave it to God to punish them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time of the strike, the U.S. was working to evacuate thousands of Americans, Afghans and other allies in the wake of the Afghan government\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For weeks after and despite mounting evidence that the U.S. had wrongly killed the 10 Ahmadis, the Pentagon maintained it had taken out a potential Islamic State operative. It wasn\u2019t until mid-September that Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, called the strike a \u201ctragic mistake\u201d and said that innocent civilians were indeed killed in the attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon review subsequently found there were breakdowns in communication in the process of identifying and confirming the target of the bombing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cMy children are all gone. No one can bring them back,\u201d Romal said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":93495,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[2154],"class_list":["post-58378","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"ALXN3PDHORFYRIKIMKOVMST43U","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/afghanistan\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Army Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 697,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished - Army Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/14\\\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Army Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/army-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Army Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/armytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished - Army Times","description":"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished","og_description":"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/","og_site_name":"Army Times","article_published_time":"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00","author":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Kathy Gannon, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished","datePublished":"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/"},"wordCount":697,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/","name":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished - Army Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-12-14T18:55:15+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T08:55:25+00:00","description":"A hellfire missile had slammed into a car belonging to Zemerai Ahmadi, killing him and nine relatives, including seven children, in the chaotic final days of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/14\/afghan-victims-saddened-us-drone-strike-to-go-unpunished\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Afghan victims saddened US drone strike to go unpunished"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","name":"Army Times","description":"Independent News For Soldiers | Army Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#organization","name":"Army Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/army-logo-white.png","caption":"Army Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Army Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21348447837198.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58378","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58378"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58378\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58394,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58378\/revisions\/58394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58378"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58378"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58378"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=58378"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}