China’s foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbin, has reacted to the Pentagon’s findings regarding the US drone strike that killed civilians in late August in the capital city of Kabul.
“Afghan lives matter. We urge the US side to respect the lives and human rights of the Afghan people, disclose the truth of the incident to the public, bring perpetrators to justice and offer compensations to the family members of the victims,” Wang Wenbin said on Thursday in a press conference.
On November 2, US Air Force Inspector General Lt. Gen. Sami D. Said briefed the news media about an investigation into an August drone strike in Afghanistan that left 10 civilians including seven children dead and said the US did not violate any laws, including the Law of War.
“At the time, US personnel mistakenly thought the car was operated by ISIS-K who intended to target evacuees and military forces with explosives at the Hamid Karzai International Airport in Afghanistan's capital,” explained US official referring to Khorasan branch of Daesh terrorist group.
“The result of the US investigation is the most callous and ruthless “verdict” for the more than 32 million Afghan people who suffered so much from the scourge of war. This investigation once again reveals the arrogance, hypocrisy and double standard of the US on human rights issues,” Wenbin reacted.
The Chinese foreign ministry’s spokesman also expressed dissatisfaction with the United Nations for being silent and not investigating the war crimes committed during the 20-year US military presence in Afghanistan.
“In the past 20 years, US military operations including the war in Afghanistan have resulted in over 800,000 deaths, of which about 335,000 were civilians. The international community has yet to see any investigation or accountability in the US. This is an indelible stain in the history of international human rights,” he said.
Wenbin added that the US should stop its interference in other countries’ internal affairs in the name of democracy and human rights, and should earnestly respect and protect human rights, especially those of people in developing countries and prevent recurring human rights violations.”
The US has repeatedly accused China of violating human rights regarding the millions of Muslims residing in Xinjiang state and in return Chinese officials have cited that as an excuse the US side has made to only detain Chinese solar products.