A family of nine, including six children, was killed by a US drone strike on 29 August in the Afghan capital Kabul, according to the brother of one of those killed.

Nine members of one family were killed in US drone strike targeting a vehicle in a residential neighborhood of #Kabul, according to a relative of those killed. Those killed included six children, the brother of the one of the dead told a local journalist working with CNN

— Michael Holmes (@holmescnn) August 29, 2021

According to US Central Command officials, the drone strike targeted a suspected Islamic State (IS) suicide bomber who Washington believed posed an “imminent” threat to the city’s airport. The officials also said they were “assessing the possibilities of civilian casualties.”

Earlier in the day, US Navy spokesman Captain Bill Urban commented on the attack: “We are confident we successfully hit the target,” adding that “significant secondary explosions from the vehicle indicated the presence of a substantial amount of explosive material.”

Witnesses at the scene told reporters that several of the victims were children, with one neighbor explaining: “All the neighbors tried to help and brought water to put out the fire and I saw there were 5 or 6 people dead (…) the father of the family and another young boy and there were two children. They were dead. They were in pieces.”

Witnesses also said the drone strike targeted two parked cars at a residential building near Kabul airport.

The Taliban strongly condemned Sunday’s attack, saying the US had once again violated their country’s sovereignty. This attack came on the heels of another drone strike early on 28 August, which allegedly killed two high-profile IS members.