New Cold Wars: China's Rise, Russia's Invasion, and America's Struggle to Defend the West

by David E. Sanger

More than 150 civilians and 13 American troops were killed, and hundreds more were injured. Over the next few days, the U.S. military launched two air strikes against targets they believed might be planning additional attacks on the ground while U.S. soldiers continued to process the evacuations. One of the strikes hit a car with three suspected ISIS collaborators. The second hit a suspected terrorist who was driving around the city in what the Pentagon thought was an effort to gather materials for an attack. They had it completely wrong. Their “terrorist” was an aid worker gathering water and other supplies for his family and neighbors. But before anyone could figure that out, a drone strike was unleashed, killing the aid worker, two other adults, and seven children. For days, General Milley and the Pentagon insisted it was a “righteous strike” against a terrorist target—even though, seconds after the missile was shot but before it hit the target, the CIA warned the Department of Defense that children had been present.