“An air strike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck”, Gen. Campbell added. “All indications now point to the bombing being carried out by worldwide Coalition forces”, the group said in a statement released on Monday accusing the USA government of lying about its role in the air-strike.
Advertisement
He said a U.S. Special Operations unit that was close by was “talking to the aircraft that delivered” the firepower, which killed at least 22 people. There can be no justification for this disgusting attack.
In a possible indication that the attacking aircraft was given an improper go-ahead to open fire on the hospital, Campbell said he is requiring that every US service member in Afghanistan be retrained on the circumstances in which USA air power can be used.
Unless a rational explanation for it can be provided, the Kunduz hospital attack ranks with other horrific incidents involving the USA military, such as the Abu Ghraib prison atrocities in Iraq.
Whether the situation in Kunduz will affect USA strategy in Afghanistan will be discussed at Congressional hearings this week, Campbell said.
The general declined to comment on the rules under which the U.S. forces were operating, but he promised a thorough and transparent investigation and pledged “we’ll hold those responsible accountable and take steps to ensure mistakes are not repeated”.
The top commander of USA and coalition forces has said Afghan troops requested an airstrike which hit a hospital in Kunduz, killing 22 people.
United States defence secretary Ash Carter said an inquiry was under way into whether the carnage at the clinic was caused by an airstrike from an American fighter jet, while Afghan officials said helicopter gunships had returned fire from Taleban fighters hiding in the compound. The aircraft is armed with side-firing weapons including 40mm and 105mm cannons and a 25mm Gatling gun.
In addition to the U.S. military’s internal investigation, joint investigations are also being conducted with the Afghan government and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
The organization has called for a public investigation into the airstrike and the cooperation of USA and Afghan authorities. On Monday, Taliban forces claimed to have recaptured parts of Kunduz, hours after government forces gained brief control of the Afghan city, Al Jazeera reported.
The Taliban captured Kunduz itself a week ago, and fighting is ongoing in the area to try to reclaim the city.
Saturday’s raid left the hospital’s main building completely gutted. MSF says it was a lifeline for thousands in the city and in northern Afghanistan.
Advertisement
He expressed his “deepest condolences” over the civilian deaths.
