“U.S. forces would never intentionally strike a hospital or other protected facilities”, U.S. Army General John Campbell, the commander of global and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said at a news conference where he announced the results of the investigation, according to Reuters.
Advertisement
Campbell said the investigation found that the strike killed 30 staff, patients and assistants while injuring 37.
Investigators found no evidence that the crew or the US Special Forces commander on the ground who authorised the strike knew the targeted compound was a hospital at the time of the attack.
In a communique released to the media, the organization’s general director, Christopher Stokes, commented after learning the results of the USA investigation, which attributed the incident to human error in identifying the target of the military operation.
Several soldiers and airmen have been removed from duty, the Associated Press reports, after making preventable errors and violating US rules of engagement in the airstrike that killed 31 civilians at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan last month.
“We have been briefed by General Campbell on his investigation into this troubling incident”, Rep. Mac Thornberry, the Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said in a written statement.
The investigation claimed that the warplane that attacked the hospital was given the coordinates of a site suspected of being a “Taliban base”, but that it turned out to be an empty field. “They executed from air and did not take appropriate measures to verify the facility was a military target”, he said, adding that “fatigue” and “high operational tempo contributed to this tragedy”.
Gen Campbell said individuals involved in the attack had been suspended pending “standard military justice”, but would not give details on who was responsible. The AC-130 attacked the building with artillery shells and left it a smoking ruin. Due to technical difficulties aboard the aircraft, the AC-130 crew relied on visual descriptions provided by US special operations troops serving with the Afghan forces.
“The frightening catalogue of errors outlined today illustrates gross negligence on the part of US forces and violations of the rules of war”, Stoke said. “The bombing in Kunduz continued for more than 30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed by MSF that its hospital was struck”, MSF said. “The strike lasted for approximately 29 minutes”, he added.
Advertisement
SHAPIRO: NPR’s Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman reported on the attack when it first happened and joins us now to explain how this tragedy occurred. Thirty-three people are still missing days after a USA air strike on an Afghan hospital, the medical charity has warned, sparking fears the death toll could rise significantly. “So we are definitely continuing with our call for an independent investigation”.
