'No armed combatants, no fighting': MSF issues Afghan hospital bombing report
Published time: 5 Nov, 2015 17:04
A
Médecins Sans Frontières investigation into the Afghan hospital bombing
by US forces has found that there were no armed combatants or weapons
within the compound, and no fighting in the direct vicinity of the
hospital at the time of the airstrikes.
In its
report released on Thursday, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) addressed the
“relentless and brutal aerial attack by US forces” which took place in Kunduz on October 3 and killed at least 30 people, including MSF staff.
“The
MSF rules in the hospital were implemented and respected, including the
'no weapon' policy and MSF was in full control of the hospital at the
time of the airstrikes,” the organization stated.
The document also said there were
“no armed combatants within the hospital compound and there was no fighting from or in the direct vicinity” of the trauma center at the time of the strikes.
The hospital was
“fully functioning”
at the time of the airstrikes, with 105 patients admitted and surgeries
taking place, according to the findings of the investigation.
In addition, MSF said the
“agreement
to respect the neutrality of our medical facility based on the
applicable sections of International Humanitarian Law was fully in place
and agreed with all parties to the conflict prior to the attack.”
READ MORE: US tank enters MSF hospital in Afghanistan’s Kunduz, ‘destroys potential evidence’ – reports
Despite
that neutrality, the hospital was still the target of a US airstrike,
leading MSF to ask how such an attack was allowed to happen.
“The
question remains as to whether our hospital lost its protected status
in the eyes of the military forces engaged in this attack – and if so,
why,” MSF said in its statement.
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MSF Report: Afghan Hospital Attack Had No Military Purpose
FILE
- Hospital hit by a U.S. airstrike killed at least 30 people, including
three children, according to officials with the international medical
charity Doctors Without Borders, Kunduz, Afghanistan.
Last updated on: November 05, 2015 2:33 PM
The
international humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders says an
internal review of last month's airstrikes by U.S. forces on its
hospital in northern Afghanistan shows no reason why the facility should
have come under attack.
The organization, also known as
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF),
released a report Thursday documenting events surrounding the
airstrikes. The report says there were no armed combatants fighting
within or from the hospital grounds.
In response, a U.S. Defense
Department spokesman said the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Army
General John Campbell, has "met personally with MSF representatives."
Spokesman
Jeff Davis said the United States is working closely with MSF to
identify the dead and wounded, conclude its own investigation and move
ahead with condolence payments.
Last month, Campbell said the U.S.
accepted full responsibility for the bombing, which, according to the
Pentagon, came after Afghan forces called in U.S. airstrikes against
Taliban fighters thought to be firing from inside the medical compound.
The
MSF document,
part of an ongoing review of events undertaken by the group, is based
upon 60 debriefings of MSF national and international employees who
worked at the 140-bed trauma center; internal and public information;
before and after photographs of the hospital; email correspondence; and
telephone records.
US investigators, Cook noted, are working closely with MSF and Afghan authorities to identify the victims.
