Suspected US airstrike hits hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan Live updates

Published time: 3 Oct, 2015 07:14Edited time: 3 Oct, 2015 13:23

Fires burn in part of the MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was hit by an air strike on October 3, 2015 © MSF / AFP

 

A hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz has been hit and partially destroyed in an overnight “aerial attack” that killed at least nine Medecins Sans Frontieres staff. NATO has admitted a US airstrike may have caused accidental “collateral damage.”

• 03 October 2015

  21:25 GMT

  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.”

• 20:25 GMT

  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.

 

Yves Daccord Verified account ‏@YDaccordICRC

Yves Daccord Retweeted MSF International

Tragic news. @MSF please accept our condolences for the killing of your colleagues & patients in #Kunduz.

Yves Daccord added,

MSF International @MSF

Deeply shocked at bombing of MSF hospital in #Kunduz. Staff and patients killed. MSF urges fighting parties to respect health facilities

11:55 PM - 2 Oct 2015

 

 

 

• 19:56 GMT

  The World Health Organization (WHO) released a statement extending condolences to the families and colleges of those killed and injured in the bombing.

WHO

 

✔ @WHO

WHO once again urges all parties in the conflict to respect the safety and neutrality of health workers & health facilities #Kunduz

Follow

WHO ✔ @WHO

WHO calls on all govts & military officers to observe their obligations under intl law, ensure protection of health serv in conflict #Kunduz

2:00 PM - 3 Oct 2015

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‘Inexcusable, possibly even criminal’: UN rights chief says Kunduz bombing may be war crime

Published time: 3 Oct, 2015 15:37Edited time: 3 Oct, 2015 21:25

Fires burn in part of the MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was hit by an air strike © MSF / AFP

An air strike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed at least 19 people is “utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal,” said the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, calling for a transparent investigation.

 

 

READ MORE: 9 MSF staff, 7 patients killed after US airstrike hits hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan

 
"This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public," Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said in a statement on Saturday.
"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." 

He described the bombing as "utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal."
"International and Afghan military planners have an obligation to respect and protect civilians at all times, and medical facilities and personnel are the object of a special protection. These obligations apply no matter whose air force is involved, and irrespective of the location."

MSF International @MSF

 

The Kunduz attack constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law.We demand a full & transparent account from the Coalition

10:59 AM - 3 Oct 2015

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the airstrikes and 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.

Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) condemned “in the strongest possible terms” the bombing of its hospital full of staff and patients in a statement on Saturday.

“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 urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened,” it said.

Read More Here