US military personnel could face disciplinary action following a drone strike in Kabul last week that killed 10 civilians, including seven children, the Pentagon said on Monday.
Zamairi Ahmadi, an employee of an American humanitarian organisation, was among those killed, along with several other employees of international groups and their children.
We now know that there was no connection between Mr Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless
Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin
All of the victims had applied to be flown out of the country at Kabul airport, just three kilometres from where the air strike occurred.
At the time, an international evacuation effort was flying more than 70,000 thousand Afghan allies and foreign nationals out of the country.
President Joe Biden has said that he would support a full inquiry into the strike, after he was briefed on the details.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that any move to punish those held responsible would follow a review of the first assessment by the US Air Force, which will be conducted by Centcom, the general headquarters of US forces in the Middle East.
“If there is accountability to be held, the decisions about who and what would be done would be a separate consideration,” he told reporters.
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall and Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin discussed how the investigation would proceed on Friday, with possible disciplinary action.
Gen Austin had previously ordered an inquiry into the attack on August 29, which the Pentagon initially said had destroyed a car bomb driven by ISIS-Khorasan fighters, terrorists with the Afghan branch of ISIS.
The US military was scrambling to react to intelligence that IS-K was planning another attack in Kabul, aimed at the international evacuation effort.
On August 26, an ISIS car bomb ripped through crowds at the gates of Kabul airport, more than 170 Afghan civilians and at least 13 US soldiers.
“We are confident we successfully hit the target," said Capt Bill Urban of US Central Command following the drone strike.
"Secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material."
But reports that civilians had been killed emerged in the hours following the bombing. On Sunday, the Pentagon admitted what it said was a "tragic mistake."
Initial investigation
The US Air Force claimed that drone operators mistook water containers being loaded on to the back of a Toyota Corolla for drums filled with explosives.
In the Air Force account, the civilian car, which was tracked for eight hours, had been close to a house where it was believed an ISIS-K operative worked.
What the US initially called “secondary explosions” – purported evidence of a car bomb – turned out to be an exploding propane tank stored at the targeted property.
"We now know that there was no connection between Mr Ahmadi and ISIS-Khorasan, that his activities on that day were completely harmless and not at all related to the imminent threat we believed we faced,” Gen Austin said.
"We apologise, and we will endeavour to learn from this horrible mistake."
Mr Biden's support for the investigation could mark a departure from the Trump administration's heavy reliance on using unmanned aerial vehicles for targeting terrorists.
But Mr Biden is unlikely to depart significantly from the controversial counterterrorism tactic.
The Trump administration launched 2,243 drone strikes in the first two years of Mr Trump's time in office, compared to 1,878 for the duration of Barack Obama's presidency, when Mr Biden was vice president, according to the Bureau of Investigative Journalism, a UK-based think tank.
Company%C2%A0profile
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Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Some of Darwish's last words
"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008
His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
