“We have now learned that on October 3rd, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from USA forces”.
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Campbell offered his “deepest condolences” to victims.
The U.S. president Barack Obama has promised an inquiry but global outrage has piled pressure on the White House for more transparency as military chiefs backtracked on their account of the incident.
He said Brig. Gen. Richard Kim would be leading the investigation in Kunduz.
The MSF, which had earlier called the attack a “war crime” demanding strict action against those behind the bombing, has exited Kunduz following the onslaught.
“I’ve ordered a thorough investigation into this tragic incident and the investigation is ongoing”, U.S. Army Gen. John Campbell said.
He also said there were no changes to rules of engagement to announce, as a result of the incident, and that the investigation would take its course. The hospital is badly damaged and now the region has no comparable medical treatment center.
A statement from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation shortly after indicated that US forces may have been responsible for the attack.
Doctors Without Borders said it had treated 394 people who had been injured since fighting began a week ago when Taliban militants conquered the provincial capital in a stunning setback for the Western-backed government.
“The reality is the US dropped those bombs”, Stokes said.
The struggle to retake Kunduz has raised questions over whether NATO-trained Afghan forces are ready to go it alone now that most foreign combat troops have left. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation maintains a significant military role in Afghanistan but the USA conducts airstrikes in the country. Three of the patients were children, and another 37 people were wounded.
In an interview on Sunday’s Weekend All Things Considered, MSF Executive Director Jason Cone said it has been the “darkest couple of days in our organization’s history”. Fabius expressed his hope that light should be shed on the circumstances of the tragedy, it said.
“The United States, even if attacks were being carried out from the hospital, would have to respect certain principles of precaution”, he said.
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Meanwhile, the Taliban forces are boasting of victory and territorial seizures in the northern city of Kunduz. But pre-empting any findings, US military officials have suggested that USA backup was requested by Afghans on the ground. Residents said they had run low on food and water over the last week and were largely cut off from information as electricity and mobile phone service were greatly limited. The hospital was full of MSF staff, patients and their caretakers. 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.
