Thread: Afghan air strike: Kunduz MSF clinic workers killed

Afghan air strike: Kunduz MSF clinic workers killed - BBC News

The medical charity MSF says at least nine of its staff were killed in the Afghan city of Kunduz after a clinic was hit by an air strike on Saturday.
US forces were carrying out air strikes at the time. The Nato alliance has admitted the clinic may have been hit.
MSF says 37 people were seriously wounded in the attack, 19 of whom are its staff.

Obama promises full probe into Afghan hospital airstrike

Obama promises full probe into Afghan hospital airstrike - The Nation

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said patients burned to death in their beds during a bombing raid that continued for half an hour after US and Afghan authorities were informed the hospital had been hit.

"Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, were killed; 37 people were injured," the charity said. "This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law."

The air raid came days after Taliban fighters seized control of the strategic northern city of Kunduz, in their most spectacular victory since being booted from power by a US-led coalition in 2001.

Afghan forces, backed up by their NATO allies, claimed to have wrestled back control of the city.

But the defence ministry in Kabul said "a group of armed terrorists... were using the hospital building as a position to target Afghan forces and civilians".

MSF has denied any combatants were present in the hospital.

The charity said despite frantic calls to American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington, the attack continued for another 30 minutes, with the main hospital building housing the intensive care unit and emergency rooms being targeted.

"The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round," said Heman Nagarathnam, MSF’s head of programmes in northern Afghanistan.

"There was a pause, and then more bombs hit. This happened again and again. When I made it out from the office, the main hospital building was engulfed in flames.

"Those people that could had moved quickly to the building’s two bunkers to seek safety. But patients who were unable to escape burned to death as they lay in their beds."

In fairness to the US mistakes happen and the Taliban would think nothing of drawing fire on to a hospital if it helps them.

Originally Posted by birding

"Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, were killed; 37 people were injured," the charity said. "This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law."

Add it to the very long list of US-NATO war crimes.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

In fairness to the US mistakes

Yeah let's be fair, it was a mistake... it doesn't really matter

No, No it wasnt a mistake it was just collateral damage a US general said so.

But the truth will be revealed, those who did the bombing are going to do a thorough investigation.

What was that about Putin?

Originally Posted by Neo

Originally Posted by birding

"Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, were killed; 37 people were injured," the charity said. "This attack constitutes a grave violation of international humanitarian law."

Add it to the very long list of US-NATO war crimes.

Not the good guys....
The highly moral and ethical good guys have never engaged in war crimes.


....even during times of civilising missions.

The shit will hit one part of the fan.

US commander says Afghans requested US airstrike in Kunduz





WASHINGTON (AP) — Afghan forces who reported being under Taliban fire requested the U.S. airstrike that killed 22 people at a medical clinic in northern Afghanistan over the weekend, the top commander of American and coalition forces in Afghanistan said Monday, correcting an initial U.S. statement that the strike had been launched because U.S. forces were threatened.
The strike wasn't sought by U.S. forces, Gen. John F. Campbell said at a hastily arranged Pentagon news conference.
"We have now learned that on Oct. 3, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from U.S. forces," Campbell said. "An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck. This is different from the initial reports, which indicated that U.S. forces were threatened and that the airstrike was called on their behalf."


Several civilians were accidentally struck ?

More @
http://www.chron.com/news/politics/article/US-commander-Afghans-requested-deadly-US-6550719.php

The USA is offering to pay compensation for the killing of 22 people


Kunduz strike: US to compensate victims of hospital bombing - BBC News

Kunduz strike: US to compensate victims of hospital bombing

The Pentagon is to pay compensation for those killed and injured in a US strike on a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in northern Afghanistan.

At least 22 staff and patients were killed in the bombing in the city of Kunduz a week ago.

The US has said the strike was a mistake and that it was trying to target Taliban insurgents.

MSF has called the attack a war crime and called for an international committee to investigate.

Those injured in the strike and the families of those killed are eligible for "condolence payments" from the US.

"The Department of Defence believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident at the MSF hospital," a Pentagon spokesman said.

Funds will also be made available to repair the hospital, the Pentagon added.

President Obama has apologised to the MSF president and the Afghan leader for the incident.

MSF is still trying to trace more than 30 staff and patients who remain unaccounted for.

Originally Posted by Neverna

Those injured in the strike and the families of those killed are eligible for "condolence payments" from the US.

"The Department of Defence believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident at the MSF hospital," a Pentagon spokesman said.

Funds will also be made available to repair the hospital, the Pentagon added.

President Obama has apologised to the MSF president and the Afghan leader for the incident.

Meanwhile, the families of MH17 look at Putin and get ignored.

Still, let's all keep bleating on about this mistake eh? After all, it's the 'merkins wot done it.

It's because it's fresh and it is in the news today, Harry, just like MH17 was a while back.

Most Americans don't seem to care that schools of their kids are being regularly murderred on US soil. Why would they care about a hospital in Afghanistan?

US Military Personnel Punished for Kunduz Hospital Attack



Officials say U.S. personnel who were involved in the devastating, half-hour aerial attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan have been or will be punished.

Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S.-Central Command said "those individuals most closely associated with the incident have been suspended from their duties and were referred for administrative action."

The punishments have not been publicly announced, but are reported to include letters of reprimand, which can block promotions.

The Defense Department is set to soon publish a redacted version of its investigation of the attack.

The attack on the hospital in Kunduz in October killed 42 people, including medical staff and patients.

Army General John Campbell, who was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan at the time, but has since relinquished command, has said the attack on the hospital was "directly the result of avoidable human error." He called the strike "a tragic mistake."

The medical charity Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym MSF, has called for an outside, independent investigation of the airstrike, but that has not happened.

American forces misidentified a target in Kunduz on October 3 that resulted in the attack on the MSF hospital, according to a U.S. military investigation conducted last year.

Afghan forces asked for U.S. air support to strike a National Directorate of Security building believed to be occupied by Taliban fighters. According to the report, the AC-130 air crew instead fired 211 shells at a hospital operated by MSF that was 450 meters away.

Several factors contributed to the mistake. The air crew launched more than an hour earlier than planned, missing out on a crucial brief that would normally include identifying no-strike areas such as the MSF hospital. Once in flight, the aircraft's electronic systems malfunctioned, eliminating the crew's ability to transmit video, send and receive email, or send and receive electronic messages.

The crew then believed it was the target of a missile, so they moved out of the aircraft's normal strike range, degrading the accuracy of the targeting system. That loss of accuracy appeared to cause the coordinates of the Taliban target to land on an open field. The crew visually located the "closest, largest" building to that field and, thinking that was the target, fired on it.

MSF said the errors pinpointed in the U.S. report showed "gross negligence" on the part of U.S. forces.

Days before the attack, MSF had provided geographic coordinates of its hospital to U.S. military authorities.

The barrage on the hospital lasted 29 minutes before commanders realized the mistake, even as hospital staff members made 18 attempts to call or text U.S. and Afghan authorities about the attack as it was occurring.

Many of the doctors and nurses at the hospital were killed instantly, and some patients who could not be moved to safety died in the ensuing flames from the attack.

Within days of the October 3 incident, President Barack Obama called Joanne Liu, the president of Doctors Without Borders, to apologize for the mistaken attack.

US Military Personnel Punished for Kunduz Hospital Attack

Originally Posted by misskit

Colonel Patrick Ryder, a spokesman for U.S.-Central Command said "those individuals most closely associated with the incident have been suspended from their duties and were referred for administrative action."

No different than Mr red bull or Mr Mercedes then.
Just as corrupt.

When the UN supplies an airforce with the coordinates of hospitals and schools housing ,civilians sheltering from jet bombers, the Gaza strips hospitals still are targeted.

Originally Posted by Pragmatic

In fairness to the US mistakes happen and the Taliban would think nothing of drawing fire on to a hospital if it helps them.

True the Taliban specialise in the use of women ,Children, hospitals and schools as shields against incoming fire .

The Taliban have no regard whatsoever for the so called rules of war fare or the sanctity of Civilian life in a war zone none whatever , I suspect that a few posters do not accept this simple fact because of their pathological hatred of America , when this hit the headlines there was not much condemnation about it on these boards , in this present case it was a mistake and in war mistakes are made , however there was no mistake in this , none whatever Pakistan Taliban: Peshawar school attack leaves 141 dead - BBC News

Originally Posted by wasabi

When the UN supplies an airforce with the coordinates of hospitals and schools housing ,civilians sheltering from jet bombers, the Gaza strips hospitals still are targeted.

You write of Hospitals in Gaza? And this is what your beloved Hamas gets up to Why Hamas stores its weapons inside hospitals, mosques and schools (from Washington Post!!)