U.S. general says Afghan forces called for airstrikes that hit hospital
Middle East
U.S. general says Afghan forces called for airstrikes that hit hospital
General John Campbell, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said on Monday that a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan was struck accidentally after Afghan forces called for American military support. Doctors Without Borders, a medical charity which ran the hospital in the city of Kunduz, branded the incident a war crime. Campbell, who spoke at the Pentagon, is set to appear before a Senate panel which is expected to grill him over the bombing.
If errors were committed, we’ll acknowledge them. We’ll hold those responsible accountable, and we will take steps to ensure mistakes are not repeated.
Gen. John Campbell, the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan
Campbell’s statement was at odds with previous U.S. military claims that the strike was carried out to protect American special forces from enemy fire in the northern Afghan city. There was no immediate reaction from Afghan officials, but they have previously claimed that insurgents were using the hospital as a position to target soldiers and civilians. Campbell’s statement comes after pressure mounted on Washington to come clean about the strike, which caused patients to burn to death in their beds and reduced the hospital to smouldering rubble. He restated that the U.S. troops serving as trainers in Afghanistan are not directly fighting the Taliban.
The reality is the US dropped those bombs. The US hit a huge hospital full of wounded patients and MSF staff. The US military remains responsible for the targets it hits, even though it is part of a coalition.
Christopher Stokes, general director of Doctors Without Borders
