An MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz was hit and partially destroyed by an aerial attack that killed at least 22 people in the early hours of Saturday. The US military has admitted it conducted a strike in the vicinity of the hospital.
05 October 2015
Moscow has strongly condemned the US airstrike in Afghanistan that killed 22 people at a hospital in Kunduz, stressing that it was inflicted despite the coalition forces being notified of the facility’s exact location.
“We find it puzzling that the airstrike took place despite the international coalition being notified of the exact coordinates of the hospital to prevent possible attacks,” Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said on Monday.
Pentagon has admitted its airstrike erroneously hit a hospital in Afghanistan that killed 22 people, adding that the Afghan military had requested the use air power.
The top commander of US and coalition forces in Afghanistan, General John F. Campbell, said that Afghan forces told US forces on the ground that they needed air support.
So US forces proceeded with the strike, which led to several civilians being “accidentally struck,” he said.
04 October 2015
MSF General Director Christopher Stokes said the charity was “disgusted” by statements made by Afghan officials who justified the attack by saying that the MSF hospital in Kunduz had been used as a ‘Taliban base,’
“These statements imply that Afghan and US forces working together decided to raze to the ground a fully functioning hospital with more than 180 staff and patients inside because they claim that members of the Taliban were present.
“This amounts to an admission of a war crime. This utterly contradicts the initial attempts of the US government to minimize the attack as ‘collateral damage.’”
The US Department of Defense has promised a transparent investigation into the airstrike that hit the MSF hospital in Kunduz. US Defense Secretary Ash Carter told reporters that at the moment he cannot establish the connection between the US-led airstrikes and the bombing of the MSF hospital.
“We do know that American air assets ... were engaged in the Kunduz vicinity, and we do know that the structures that – you see in the news – were destroyed,” Carter said, as cited by Reuters. “I just can't tell you what the connection is at this time.”
MSF are demanding that an independent international body investigate the airstrike that killed 22 people at the hospital in Kunduz. An official from the medical charity said they could not trust a US military probe into the destruction of the hospital.
"Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body," MSF General Director Christopher Stokes said in a statement.
"Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient," he added.
MSF has now confirmed that 22 people, including 12 staff members, have died following the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz.
NATO says it hopes to wrap up an investigation into the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz within “a matter of days,” the alliance said in a statement, as cited by Reuters. The organization is carrying out a preliminary multi-national investigation to determine whether an airstrike it conducted hit the medical facility, which left 19 people dead.
Medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres denied that shortly before the bombing Taliban fighters were inside its hospital, firing from there on Afghan and NATO forces.
"The gates of the hospital compound were closed all night so no one that is not staff, a patient or a caretaker was inside the hospital when the bombing happened," Medecins Sans Frontieres said in a statement, cited by Reuters.
MSF has left Kunduz, according to the group’s communications manager, Kate Stegeman, following Saturday’s deadly airstrike. She added that that some of the medical charity’s staff had been working in other health facilities in the city.
MSF General Director Christopher Stokes told Sputnik radio that MSF medical aid would want to return at some point. However, their staff require reassurance.
“We need to get some immediate reassurances from all sides of the conflict and especially those we suppose were responsible for this attack … that we can work in Afghanistan without being bombed in our hospitals,” he said.
In a brief statement released by the White House, President Obama has extended his “deepest condolences” to the victims of the “tragic incident at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz.”
“The Department of Defense has launched a full investigation, and we will await the results of that inquiry before making a definitive judgment as to the circumstances of this tragedy,” read the statement, notably not featuring the terms “airstrike” or “attack” anywhere in the text.
While the US President expects a full account of the facts and circumstances surrounding the “incident,” he expressed Washington’s intention to continue to “work closely” with the Afghan government as they “work to secure their country.”
03 October 2015
Ivan Eland from the Center on Peace and Liberty at The Independent Institute told RT that the tragedy in Kanduz should show the US that it needs to pull out all its troops from Afghanistan “once and for all.”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the airstrikes in Kunduz that resulted in the death and injury of medical workers and patients at a MSF hospital. He called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack in order to ensure accountability.
“The Secretary-General recalls that hospitals and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law,” the statement attributed to Ban said.
He commended the courageous and dedicated staff of the organization and extended his deepest sympathies to the families of the victims.
The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement extending condolences to the families and colleges of those killed and injured in the bombing.
The US military said in a statement on Saturday that its air forces conducted a strike “in the vicinity” of a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz.
“US forces conducted an air strike in Kunduz city at 2:15am [local time], Oct 3, against insurgents who were directly firing upon US servicemembers advising and assisting Afghan Security Forces in the city of Kunduz. The strike was conducted in the vicinity of a Doctors Without Borders medical facility,” said Gen. John F Campbell, commander of US forces in Afghanistan.
“I am aware of an incident that occurred at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz city today,” he added.
MSF said in a statement that the hospital was bombed by a series of aerial raids at approximately 15 minute intervals. The bombs “very precisely” and “repeatedly” hit the main central hospital building, housing the intensive care unit, emergency rooms, and physiotherapy ward, it added.
“The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round,” said Heman Nagarathnam, MSF’s head of programs 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.”
NATO’s Secretary General has expressed his condolences to all those affected by the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic incident involving a Doctors without Borders hospital in Kunduz,” Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on Saturday. “I extend my condolences to all those affected. A US investigation into this tragic incident is underway in coordination with the Afghan government.”
The head of the US-led forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, has offered his condolences to Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani after the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz, the Afghan president’s office has reported, as cited by Reuters.
Reuters previously reported that Campbell had apologized to Ghani. However, it later corrected the statement.
MSF said “all indications” suggest US-led forces carried out the bombing.
"All indications currently point to the bombing being carried out by international Coalition forces," it said in a statement. "MSF demands a full and transparent account from the Coalition regarding its aerial bombing activities over Kunduz on Saturday morning."
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said two of its medical staff had been helping at the MSF facility in Kunduz, but they weren’t harmed in the bombing.
MSF said the death toll in the bombing has risen to 12 staff members and at least 7 patients. It added that 37 people were injured, including 19 staff members.
The US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter says Washington is still trying to determine what happened in the airstrike that hit the Afghan hospital.
"A full investigation into the tragic incident is under way in coordination with the Afghan government," Carter said in a statement.
He said the area around the hospital had been the scene of intense fighting in recent days with US forces supporting Afghan Security Forces against Taliban fighters.
Eltaf Najafizada, a freelance journalist for RT, found out about the death of his friend Aminullah Salarzai on social media. He had worked at the hospital as a doctor.
“It’s a really sad moment concerning the death of my friend. He was in his 20’s and was engaged. He worked as a physician at the Doctors Without Borders hospital. He was loved by all those around him. I really miss him.”
The UN Human Rights chief, Zeid Raad al-Hussein says the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz was “utterly tragic, inexcusable and possibly even criminal.” He has called for an investigation into the incident, Reuters reports.
"This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public," al-Hussein said in a statement.
"The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime."
Medecins Sans Frontieres has tweeted that 16 people were killed: nine staff members, seven patients, and three children. The medical charity adds that 37 people have suffered injuries, including 19 staff members of whom five are in a critical condition.
The head of the US-led forces in Afghanistan, General John Campbell, has apologized to the Afghan President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani after the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz, the Afghan president’s office has reported, as cited by Reuters.
An MSF doctor, as cited by the Guardian, is reporting that 20 members of the medical charity have been killed. The doctor told the publication that eight nurses, three doctors, six security guards, two cleaners and a pharmacist were among those killed.
Amnesty International has condemned the bombing of the hospital in Kunduz, saying the loss of life was “deplorable” and that the matter needed to be “urgently and impartially investigated.
“This bombing of the MSF hospital in Kunduz marks a dark day for humanitarianism. It is sickening to think that doctors and other staff have had to pay with their lives while trying to save others. Hospitals are places of sanctity under international law governing conflict,” said Horia Mosadiq, Afghanistan Researcher at Amnesty International.
“There must be a full, independent and transparent investigation into how and why this bombing took place. The US military should not be jumping to conclusions without first fully getting to the bottom of how this happened.”
A Medecins Sans Frontiere official has stated the medical charity was frantically trying to phone NATO as Washington bombed the medical hospital for almost an hour, Reuters has reported.
The official, who asked not to be identified, said the first bomb landed at 2:10am and MSF staff called NATO officials in Kabul at 2:19am and military officials in Washington a few minutes later. The bombing continued until 3:13am.
The organization said they would release a statement shortly.
A Middle East expert, Willy van Damme, has called on the US to own up to their mistake of allegedly firing a missile at the hospital, saying that no one else could have been responsible.
“They knew the coordinates very well as they were communicated several times to the US and NATO by Medecins Sans Frontieres. If I was a US General or Barack Obama, I would admit to what has happened and not say ‘we are investigating.’ There is only one air force operating over there. There is no Chinese Air Force or Taliban Air Force,” he told RT.
RT’s London correspondent Eisa Ali has been looking into what the reliance on US airstrikes could mean for the future of Afghanistan, with the country still struggling to hold its own against the Taliban.
“It was around this time last year that we saw, with much pomp and ceremony, the withdrawal of UK involvement in Afghanistan. After more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, it had been heralded as a so-called victory in nation building. Yet we have now seen a militant group able to take a city of around 300,000 people, while the Afghan forces are only able to push them out with air support.
“The US are scheduled to leave in 2016, but it raises many concerns amongst observers that if we have situations like this, what will the future be for Afghan forces and will they be able to hold the country together in the face of an organized Taliban onslaught.”
RT’s video agency Ruptly has footage of the hospital, which was allegedly struck by a US airstrike, in which nine members of Medecins Sans Frontieres were killed.
Susan Harrington, a public affairs officer with the United States Air Force, has told RT: “It would be inappropriate for us to comment at this time as we do not want to jeopardize the integrity of the investigation.”
This followed a questioned posed to NATO from RT, which wanted to know whether the alliance had indeed received the hospital’s GPS location or any other details from MSF before the attack took place, as the agency had claimed.
Fighting has been taking place around Kunduz in the north of Afghanistan for the last week, after Taliban militants seized control of the city, which is seen as their biggest victory since the insurgency began 14 years ago.
Government forces said they have managed to regain control of parts of the city, while the Taliban have sought refuge in local residents’ homes.
The UN’s special representative in Afghanistan, Nicholas Haysom, has condemned the “tragic and devastating airstrike” on the hospital, calling on all parties to “respect and protect medical and humanitarian personnel and facilities.”
“Hospitals accommodating patients and medical personnel may never be the object of attack, and international humanitarian law also prohibits the use of medical facilities for military purposes. I commend Medecins sans Frontieres for their work. Our condolences are with them, their patients, family and friends,” he said.
MSF has stated that the bombing at the hospital continued 30 minutes after Kabul and Washington were “clearly informed of the precise location” of the organization’s facilities. The agency added that the precise locations had been communicated to all parties “on multiple occasions” over the past months, with the latest update being on September 29.
“The bombing continued for more than 30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed. MSF urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened,” a statement from MSF read.
Meanwhile Neha Thakkar, a media officer for the International Red Cross, has spoken to RT.
“This is a grave violation of humanitarian law and of course it is going to impact our ability. The MSF and IRC have the ability to reach out to the people of Afghanistan who really need medical attention, especially in Kunduz where of course the crossfire is still ongoing,” she said.
“If hospitals are being targeted then it makes our work practically impossible,” Thakkar added.
MSF has issued a statement, saying, “It is with deep sadness that we confirm so far the death of nine MSF staff during the bombing last night of MSF’s hospital in Kunduz.”
“Latest update is that 37 people were seriously wounded during the bombing, of whom 19 are MSF staff,” the organization added.
“There are many patients and staff who remain unaccounted for. The numbers keep growing as we develop a clearer picture of the aftermath of this horrific bombing,” MSF concluded.
MSF medical staff are continuing their work, performing emergency surgery on the wounded.
Dominik Stillhart, director of operations at the International Committee of the Red Cross, has expressed his condolences for those who died and suffered in the strike.
Wahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the Afghan Ministry of Public Health, has posted details on those wounded in the strike on his Twitter account.
The US formally wrapped up its combat mission in Afghanistan at the end 2014, but some 10,000 US troops stay in the country. American forces are supposed to leave Afghanistan by the end of 2016.
Talat Masood, a retired lieutenant-general of the Pakistan Army, thinks there's a good chance U.S. soldiers will end up staying for longer.
At least sixty people were killed and around 400 wounded in the fighting in Kunduz since Monday, the spokesman for the Ministry of Public Health, Wahidullah Mayar, wrote on his Twitter account. The government says 200 Taliban fighters were killed.
Dr Masood Nasim, who was leading the MSF medical team at trauma hospital in Kunduz, said on Thursday that his facility has been at the front line since the hostilities began on September 28.
“Early on Monday morning, I came to MSF’s hospital here in Kunduz after hearing the sound of shells falling. By midday our hospital was on the frontline, with fighting right outside the gate. You could hear the sound of shelling, rockets and airplanes. Some bullets have come into the hospital, some even through the roof of the intensive care unit,” Nasim said.
Adil Akbar, a doctor at the hospital who was on duty at the time, told AP that the operating theater, emergency room and other parts of the hospital complex had been struck in the bombing.
"I managed to escape after attack but I know that most of the staff and even some of the patients are missing," he said.
At the time of the attack, there were over 80 personnel, both local and international, inside the building, threating over 105 patients.
“We do not yet have the final casualty figures, but our medical team are providing first aid and treating the injured patients and MSF personnel and accounting for the deceased,” MSF said.
Three MSF staff have been confirmed dead, while more than 30 are unaccounted for, according to the organization’s official statement.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) said they were “deeply shocked by the attack, the killing of our staff and patients and the heavy toll it has inflicted on healthcare in Kunduz”.
The airstrike happened in Kunduz at 2:15am on Saturday, according to NATO coalition spokesman Colonel Brian Tribus.
“The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility,” he said. “This incident is under investigation.”