US vows to pay relatives of Afghans killed in drone strike
Washington, Oct 16: The US Defence Department has said that it is committed to offering condolence payments to relatives of the 10 people who were killed in an errant US drone strike in Kabul, Afghanistan, in August.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby in a statement on Friday said that the Defence Department was also working with the State Department to help surviving family members relocate to the United States.
Kirby said the matter arose in a meeting Thursday between Dr Colin Kahl, under secretary of defence for policy, and Dr Steven Kwon, founder and president of the nonprofit group Nutrition & Education International.
Dr Kahl reiterated Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin's commitment to the families, including offering ex gratia condolence payments, Kirby said. He did not say how much money would be offered.
On Aug 29, a US Hellfire missile struck a car driven by Zemerai Ahmadi, who had just pulled into the driveway of the Ahmadi family compound. In all, 10 members of the family, including seven children, were killed in the strike.
Weeks later, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of US Central Command, called the strike a tragic mistake and said innocent civilians were indeed killed in the attack.
During the meeting Thursday, Kwon told Kahl that Ahmadi had work with NEI for many years, providing care and lifesaving assistance for people facing high mortality rates in Afghanistan, according to Kirby.
The US military initially defended the strike, saying it had targeted an Islamic State group's facilitator and disrupted the militants' ability to carry out attacks during the chaotic final stage of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan.
Discrepancies between the military's portrayal of the strike and findings on the ground quickly emerged. The Associated Press and other news organisations reported that the driver of the targeted vehicle was a longtime employee at a US humanitarian organisation. There were no signs of a large secondary blast, despite the Pentagon's assertion that the vehicle contained explosives.
The drone strike followed a devastating suicide bombing by an Islamic State offshoot that killed 169 Afghans and 13 US military personnel at one of the gates to the Kabul airport in late August.
Last month, McKenzie said the US was considering making reparation payments to the family of the drone strike victims.
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CSK's Ayush Mhatre ruled out of remainder of IPL 2026 due to hamstring injury
New Delhi (PTI): Chennai Super Kings batter Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing IPL season due to a hamstring injury, dealing a major blow to the five-time champions.
The franchise said Mhatre, who sustained the injury during CSK’s previous game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18, will require a rehabilitation period of six to 12 weeks.
"Ayush Mhatre has been ruled out of the remainder of IPL 2026 due to a left hamstring injury sustained while batting during the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 18.
"Ayush's injury will require a rehabilitation period of 6-12 weeks," CSK announced on its social media on Tuesday.
The 18-year-old, who came in as an impact substitute, was seen in visible discomfort and clutched his hamstring while attempting a run during CSK’s 10-run loss to SRH in Hyderabad.
He required on-field treatment and, although he continued briefly, was dismissed soon after.
"It looks pretty bad, unfortunately. And he's going to be a big, big loss because he's been in really nice touch for us," CSK's batting coach Mike Hussey had said at the post-match press conference.
Mhatre has been CSK's standout batter this season. He lea collecting 201 runs from six matches at a strike-rate of 177.87.
Chennai Super Kings have endured a poor start to the 2026 season, losing four of their six matches to languish in eighth place.
