Pentagon Confirms Civilians, Children Were Killed in Airstrike Meant for ISIS in Afghanistan

The Pentagon admitted there has been an airstrike error in Afghanistan, confirming that there were 10 civilians killed in an attack meant for ISIS-K.

An American military official with knowledge on the matter said that 10 civilians, including seven children, were mistakenly killed in the airstrike, adding that it was necessary to prevent an attack on American troops, according to a Daily Wire report.

U.S. Central Command Gen. Kenneth McKenzie said in a video statement that they now assess that it is unlikely that the vehicle and those who died were associated with ISIS-K.

McKenzie also noted that he is fully responsible for the strike and the outcome, being the combatant commander.

Airstrike Meant for ISIS-K

The airstrike was launched after suicide bomb attacks had resulted in the deaths of 13 U.S. service members and dozens of Afghans near the Kabul airport. The terrorist attack was claimed by ISIS-K, according to a CNBC report.

The general said that the U.S. is eyeing reparation payments for surviving family members of those killed in the airstrike. However, McKenzie also noted that it would be difficult to deliver the payments with the U.S. having no presence in Afghanistan.

Earlier assertions of senior defense officials turned out to be false, including the explosive the military were loaded in the truck of a white Toyota sedan that was hit by the drone's missile was probably water bottles.

Officials also earlier claimed that a secondary explosion in a densely populated area where the attack took place was probably a propane or gas tank.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered a review of the military's inquiry into the drone strike, degerming who should be held accountable, according to The New York Times report.

Congressional lawmakers are also eyeing for their own accounting from the Pentagon.

The Taliban had also commented on the matter, with a spokesman for Afghanistan's new Taliban rulers, Zabihullah Mujahid, saying that the attack killed seven people.

Mujahid noted that the Taliban was also investigating, according to a Reuters report.

Gen. Mark Milley said that in a dynamic high threat environment, officials had the proper authority and reasonable certainty that the target was valid.

Intelligence failure of the United States had raised questions, including whether the United States can keep track of al-Qaeda and Islamic State threats.

Also, it poses a question of whether the U.S. can act quickly on the threats it gets.

Victims of the Airstrike Error

Military officials said that they did not know the name of the driver of the car that the drone strike targeted.

He was deemed suspicious due to his activities that day such as visiting a suspected Islamic State safe house and driving a white Toyota Corolla that was the same model the intelligence identified as involved in an imminent plot.

The intelligence also noted that the driver loaded the vehicle with what they thought explosives.

Reports from The Times identified him as "Mr. Ahmadi." He was reported to be traveling for work, involving moving colleagues to and from work.

Afghanistan and Iraq have experienced the same problem of civilian death from drone strikes in more than two decades.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Afghan drone strike that killed 10 civilians was 'a mistake': Pentagon - from ABC News