News - Middle East: The US military, which invaded and illegally occupied Afghanistan for almost two decades, killed 12 Afghan civilians in 2021, according to a congressionally mandated Pentagon report, pointing to a tip of an iceberg.

They were killed in a botched drone strike the American military carried out in the Afghan capital Kabul on August 29, 2021, the report states, one day before the phased US military drawdown ended.

Seven of the ten civilians killed in that incident were children, according to the report released on Tuesday, which constitutes only a fraction of atrocities unleashed by the US forces in Afghanistan.

It also documents the killing of a civilian in a US strike on January 8 in western Herat province, and another on August 11 in southern Kandahar province.

The botched drone strike in August 2021 prompted a half-hearted apology from then-head of US Central Command Gen. Frank McKenzie, who admitted it was a “mistake.”
However, no US military officials or troops were punished or held accountable for the deadly strike.

Taliban staged a stunning comeback in August 2021, toppling the West-backed government in Kabul and forcing the US and its allies to abandon the country after years of futile military adventure.