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.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Metro services begin in Bhopal; excited residents flock to take rides, selfies
Bhopal (PTI): On the first day of the commercial run of the Metro services in Bhopal on Sunday, hundreds of residents enthusiastically took rides, expressing confidence that it will save time and provide relief from traffic jams.
An official said that the Metro’s first service began at 9 am from the AIIMS station, and by 6 pm, 5,731 people had travelled on the new mass-transit corridor.
He said that people, along with their family members, had been lining up for tickets since early morning. Several users were seen taking selfies and photos inside the Metro rakes and at stations.
ALSO READ: Snowfall blocks two key roads providing alternative connectivity to Kashmir
Earlier on Saturday, Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav inaugurated the Metro service by flagging off a train from Subhash Nagar station on a 7.5-kilometre stretch, called the “Priority Corridor”.
With this, Bhopal became the 26th city in the country and the second city in Madhya Pradesh, after Indore, to have the Metro service.
Rao Singh, who took a Metro ride, told PTI Videos that besides saving time and money, the new mode of transport will provide relief from traffic jams and pollution.
Another passenger, who identified himself as Chetan, said he was happy that Bhopal is now on the “Metro list”.
Office-goers will benefit a lot due to the Metro service, said a young man named Akshay.
While the estimated cost of the 30.8-km-long Bhopal Metro project is Rs 10,033 crore, a sum of Rs 2,225 crore was spent on the ‘Priority Corridor’, according to officials.
