AN INVESTIGATION which found that a drone strike in Afghanistan that killed 10 civilians was not caused by criminal negligence was branded inadequate today.

The Pentagon report into the Kabul air strike, during which seven children died, said it was caused by errors and communication breakdowns, but did not break the laws of war.

It was attributed to “execution errors” including “confirmation bias,” the internal probe into the incident concluded.

"It’s a regrettable mistake. It’s an honest mistake. But it’s not criminal conduct, random conduct or negligence,” US air force inspector Lieutenant General Sami Said told reporters.

The drone strike was authorised by US President Joe Biden in retaliation for a suicide bomb at Kabul airport which killed at least 170 people, including 13 US service personnel.

Washington insisted that it had targeted members of Isis-K, which had claimed responsibility for the deadly blast and were making preparations for a second attack.

But the vehicle which was targeted in the precision missile strike in fact belonged to the family of Zemari Ahmadi, who worked for US-based organisation Nutrition and Education International.

Neighbours described peeling flesh off the walls just moments after children were playing happily on the street.

The American Civil Liberties Union said the Pentagon review did not provide “meaningful transparency and accountability for the wrongful killing of their loved ones.”

It called for the organisation’s remaining employees to be evacuated to ensure their safety, saying that US actions had placed them at risk.

Organisation resident and co-founder Steven Kwon said the investigation was “deeply disappointing and inadequate.”

“According to the inspector general, there was a mistake, but no one acted wrongly, and I’m left wondering, how can that be?” he added.

Details of the report will remain secret because it contains information about the methods and techniques used by the military to conduct drone strikes.