New York Times and Reuters: Attack on Kohstak wedding party carried out by American missile

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - International Service: The New York Times, after reviewing video footage, interviews with local residents, and analysis of ammunition remains, has announced that the missile that hit the wedding party in Kohstak was an American "JSOW" ammunition.

 

Reuters has also emphasized in an investigative report that the review of images and videos of the incident by weapons experts strengthens the possibility of a direct hit by an American ammunition.

 

Weapons experts analyze images and videos

Reuters, citing images and videos that they confirmed were authentic, reported that the explosion occurred when dozens of people had gathered for a wedding party at a house in Kohstock. An expert examination of the damage indicates that the building where the ceremony was held was likely hit directly by ammunition.

 

According to Reuters, four military experts specializing in weapons have reviewed images and videos of the incident, and three of them have suggested that the ammunition used was American.

 

The New York Times, citing an analysis by a weapons expert and its own visual inspection, has emphasized that the bomb that hit the residential area was American-made.

 

Distance 135 meters from the communication tower

Reuters, citing two American officials who asked not to be named, reported that American forces targeted a communication tower in the Kohstock area. Satellite images show that the tower was only about 135 meters from the wedding venue.

 

Weapons experts told the New York Times that the munitions that hit the wedding venue were from a JSOW warhead, a weapon used by the US Central Command (CENTCOM) but not in the possession of the Iranian armed forces.

 

Casualties and Reactions

According to the Iranian Red Crescent Society and news sources, the attack left at least five people dead and nearly 70 wounded.

 

A 4-year-old child named Amirali Karimi and a 16-year-old teenager named Mohammad Mollahi were also reported to be among the victims. The bride’s father told state television that fragments of a US missile had destroyed the building.

 

Vice President JD Vance, responding to reporters’ questions about the attack, said the US was investigating the incident, adding: “Unfortunately, obviously, sometimes things happen.”

 

According to experts, investigative reports by the New York Times and Reuters about the American munitions hitting a wedding party in Kohstak show the low accuracy of American airstrikes in residential areas and disregard for civilian lives.

 

Studies show that the 135-meter distance between the military target (communications tower) and the wedding venue, if finally confirmed, could raise serious questions about compliance with the principles of separating military targets from civilians in international humanitarian law.

 

This incident occurred in the wake of deadly American attacks on residential areas in Iran, including an attack on a girls' school in Minab, which, according to news sources, was carried out with a Tomahawk missile and left at least 156 martyrs.