Biden’s Kabul Drone Strike Another Failed Attempt to Save Face?

As the Biden administration tucked its tail between its legs in August and scrambled to get American troops out of Afghanistan so as not to further offend the Taliban, a marvelous opportunity to save some face presented itself. Americans at home were still both sad and angry that 13 U.S. military personnel had just perished in a suicide attack on one of the gates to the airport in Kabul. Then, just days later, a suspected suicide bomber, driving a car laden with explosives through the Afghan capital, was taken out by a U.S. drone. The timing could not have been better for a flailing and embarrassed administration. One small but significant victory to soothe the pain of the worst foreign policy and military blunder in American history.

Unfortunately, it now seems all but certain the drone strike was yet another tragic mistake for which the alleged commander-in-chief and his hopelessly inept senior officials should answer. The New York Times, in a rare moment of hunger for the truth, investigated the incident first-hand and reports that the vehicle’s driver was one Zemari Ahmadi, an aid worker for an American non-governmental organization (NGO).

Did They Lie?

Ahmadi, under drone surveillance, had loaded his car with containers of water and then drove home to his family, where he was hit by a missile. He died alongside up to nine others, including several children – all members of the Ahmadi family. Unless the Times is blatantly fabricating its story – which appears unlikely, considering who is currently in the White House – Defense Department officials and Mr. Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, have lied to the American people about the attack by claiming that a secondary blast suggested the presence of a large amount of explosive material. The Times had a team on the ground, collecting eye-witness accounts and investigating the scene. They report no evidence of this “secondary explosion.”

The Prediction

After the murder of the 13 U.S. service members and more than 100 Afghan civilians at the airport, Liberty Nation staff discussed a scenario in which a U.S. airstrike would soon obliterate something or someone, somewhere in Afghanistan, giving the administration the opportunity to bask in a “we got ‘em” moment. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a vehicle traveling near the border with Pakistan was blown up by a drone-fired missile.

Details of that attack remain sketchy. Despite some efforts by the media to link those allegedly killed in the drone strike to the terrorist bombing at the airport in Kabul, there is no evidence such a link existed – or even that anyone at all was killed, assuming a drone was dispatched in the first place.

It did not turn out to be a moment of glory or redemption for Mr. Biden. Throngs of Americans did not swarm the White House, waving flags and celebrating their revenge upon the Kabul killers. If one were incredibly cynical, one might even speculate the administration needed something else; a more imminent and deadly threat to neutralize at the last moment, thus, winning back the confidence of the American people that their leaders were resolute, fearless, and competent enough to do whatever it takes to protect their compatriots still attempting to leave Afghanistan.

Enter Mr. Ahmadi, and Liberty Nation’s prediction of a face-saving military mission continued to play out, it appears, with horrible consequences. Surely, the Pentagon need only release camera footage from the drone, which will show the alleged terrorist loading his car with explosives. Then, America will know that an awful crime was indeed thwarted. Holding one’s breath, waiting for that to happen, is not advised.

The more likely scenario is that Ahmadi and his deceased family members will join those 13 American heroes and countless other Afghans on the list of victims of Biden’s catastrophic decision to appease the Taliban at any cost.

~

Read more from Graham J. Noble.