“The fact that this was unintentional, an unintentional action, takes it out of the realm of actually being a deliberate war crime against persons or protected locations”, he said. Fatigue and high operational tempo also contributed to the incident.
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MSF has been harshly critical of the attack, noting it amounts to a war crime, and has been pressing for an independent, global investigation.
Votel said the military has sought to avoid similar mistakes in the future by requiring that such data be pre-loaded into aircraft.
The general, who headed US Special Operations Command at the time, argued that the attack did not amount to a war crime because none of the service members were aware that they were striking a hospital.
Administrative punishments but no criminal charges have been leveled against US military personnel for mistakes that resulted in 42 people dying in last year’s attack on a civilian hospital in Afghanistan operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, officials said.
The U.S., under current rules of engagement, does not strike Taliban formations unless Afghan security forces are about to be overrun.
He expressed “deepest condolences” to those injured and to the families of those killed.
Last month, more than a dozen U.S. military personnel were disciplined in connection with the bombing, all inhabiting largely administrative positions. “These modest payments are not created to compensate the victims or place a value on their lives, but are a gesture of sympathy”, General Joseph L Votel, Commander of the US Central Command told reporters at a news conference here.
The AAF provided Special Forces counterparts with coordinates for the intended building strike, which ended up being an empty field. Among the 16, some were given letters of reprimand and admonishment; one officer was removed from command; some were suspended from their duties and some were given extensive retraining. The rationale for no criminal charges is that although a number of fatal mistakes were made, there was no intent to engage in criminal military behavior, the officials said.
Sixteen members of the military have been sanctioned for their role in the airstrike that hit the hospital (pictured).
The top US commander in Afghanistan called it a “tragic mistake” and the military promised to investigate.
“This was an extreme situation we were dealing with”, Votel said, noting that the Taliban in the area were in possession of a surface-to-air missile, a rarity in the Afghanistan conflict.
Votel said the investigation determined that all members of both the ground force and the AC-130 air crew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement.
Overall, the investigation concluded that a combination of human errors, including poor communication, coordination and situational awareness, and process and equipment failures were responsible for the bombing.
The MSF hospital was fully functioning at the time of the attack, and while Taliban combatants were being treated there, the investigation acknowledges that neither US nor Afghan forces were taking fire from the hospital compound.
The aircrew had thought they were firing on the intended target, Votel said.
In a separate incident, an MSF hospital in Syria was struck this week, leaving at least 30 dead. “Doctors Without Borders officials contacted coalition military personnel during the attack to say the hospital was being “bombed” from the air”, and the word finally was relayed to the AC-130 crew, that report said.
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The airstrike was launched as USA special operations troops tried to help Afghan forces retake Kunduz from the Taliban, which had captured the city five days earlier.
