By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – A senior U.S. Democrat said on Thursday that multiple congressional committees will investigate a drone strike that killed 10 Afghan civilians last month, to determine what went wrong and answer questions about future counterterrorism strategy.

Representative Adam Schiff (chair of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee) said that this was an issue that many committees will be looking into and that they have already begun to do so.

U.S. Military apologized Friday for Aug. 29’s drone strike in Kabul. The attack killed 10 civilians and seven children.

According to the Pentagon, it was a strike against an Islamic State suicide bomber that posed an immediate threat to U.S. troops during their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

It raised questions about possible future threats, including whether it is possible for the United States to keep track of any potential threat from Afghanistan while not being present in Afghanistan.

In particular, as we move to an “over-the-horizon” strategy, Schiff said that it was important to fully understand what went wrong in order to determine the limitations of our ability to accomplish certain tasks. This meeting was sponsored by Christian Science Monitor.

The term “over-the-horizon,” refers specifically to counterterrorism efforts that are not from Afghanistan. For example, drone strikes at bases situated 1,000 miles from their targets.

Critics of the U.S. chaotic withdrawal were further fuelled by the confirmation that civilians died. It created the most serious foreign policy crisis ever for President Joe Biden.

The withdrawal was criticized by many of Biden’s colleagues Democrats as well as Republicans. Hearings were scheduled by congressional committees with high-ranking administration officials.

Schiff stated that he supported the withdrawal. He stated that “We cannot occupy everywhere.” He said, “Today there’s a greater danger in other areas of the globe than in Afghanistan.”