Pentagon: Deadly Afghan airport attack was not preventable

[Nevilledog]

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The Associated Press
@AP
The military investigation into the attack during the Afghanistan evacuation has concluded that a suicide bomber, carrying 20 pounds of explosives, acted alone, and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable. http://apne.ws/xNNA2df
2:11 PM · Feb 4, 2022

https://apnews.com/article/afghanistan-islamic-state-group-bombings-kabul-taliban-80dde38aa7c28451b2dc55b466e31228

WASHINGTON (AP) — The military investigation into the deadly attack during the Afghanistan evacuation has concluded that a suicide bomber, carrying 20 pounds of explosives packed with ball bearings, acted alone, and that the deaths of more than 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. service members were not preventable.

The blast at Abbey Gate outside the Kabul airport on Aug. 26 killed 11 U.S. Marines, a sailor and a soldier, who were screening the thousands of Afghans frantically trying to get onto one of the crowded flights leaving the country after the Taliban takeover. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack.

At the Pentagon on Friday, military officials laid out a detailed and graphic minute-by-minute account of the bombing. The bottom line, they said, was that those who died had wounds that were “so catastrophic” that they couldn’t be overcome. And they said that earlier thoughts that it was a complex attack involving gunfire turned out to be unfounded.

“A single, explosive device killed at least 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. servicemembers by explosively directing ball bearings through a packed crowd and into our men and women at Abbey gate,” said Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command. “The disturbing lethality of this device was confirmed by the 58 U.S. servicemembers who were killed and wounded despite the universal wear of body armor and helmets that did stop ball bearings that impacted them, but could not prevent catastrophic injuries to areas not covered.”

*snip*

[Botany]

1. The deadly attack during the Afghanistan evacuation was not preventable.

No doubt Fox News and the the GOP is going to issue an apology to President Biden tonight.

And they will congratulate him on the job #'s too.

[Nevilledog]

2. Here's what they're covering

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[Tickle]

3. so much for the 10 civilians 7 being children

we killed 48 hours later

Newly Declassified Video Shows U.S. Killing of 10 Civilians in Drone Strike
The New York Times obtained footage of the botched strike in Kabul, whose victims included seven children, through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/19/us/politics/afghanistan-drone-strike-video.html