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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Allahabad HC orders probe into 'reinstatement' of teacher in UP's Barabanki
Lucknow (PTI): The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday ordered a probe by the special task force (STF) into alleged irregularities in the rejoining of a teacher at City Intermediate College in Barabanki, observing that the reinstatement appeared to be prima facie illegal.
The court also directed the recovery of the salary paid to the teacher during the disputed period.
A bench of Justice Rajeev Singh passed the order on a petition filed by the college management committee. The court expressed doubts over the roles of the District Inspector of Schools (DIOS), Barabanki, the college principal and the teacher concerned and hence, directed a detailed inquiry into the matter.
Taking note of alleged manipulation of records and misleading submissions, the court ordered the immediate transfer of the Barabanki DIOS to ensure a fair probe. It also directed the initiation of disciplinary proceedings against the then joint director of education of the Ayodhya division.
In its order, the court found that the teacher, Abhay Kumar, was initially appointed as an assistant teacher in 2018 but joined an Eklavya Model Residential School in Chhattisgarh as a lecturer in June 2024 without obtaining permission from the management. His subsequent request to retain the lien was rejected.
Despite this, he was allowed to rejoin the Barabanki College in September 2025 on the directions of the joint director of education and the DIOS, and was even paid the salary for October 2025. The court termed the rejoining "wholly illegal" and lacking any legal basis.
The bench also expressed concern over lapses in communication within the education department and directed the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary to ensure that official orders are communicated through email and WhatsApp as well, to prevent disputes.
The matter is next listed for hearing on May 28 when a compliance report is sought.
