Investigations Ongoing Into U.S. Bombing Of MSF Hospital In Kunduz; MSF, U.N. Withdraw Aid Operations From Afghanistan’s North

The Guardian: Kunduz hospital bombing latest in a long line of attacks on MSF staff
“The U.S. airstrikes that targeted a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, killing 12 staff members, at least 10 patients, and seriously wounding 37 people, brought about the single largest loss of life that the medical charity has suffered in 35 years of working in the country…” (Jones, 10/5).

The Hill: White House: Afghan hospital bombing not a ‘war crime’
“The White House on Monday avoided describing the weekend attack on an Afghan hospital as a ‘war crime,’ citing ongoing investigations. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that the bombing of the facility staffed with volunteers from Doctors Without Borders was a ‘profound tragedy’…” (Cirilli, 10/5).

IRIN: Aid agencies withdraw from Afghanistan’s north
“The United Nations has evacuated staff from areas of northern Afghanistan where a suspected American airstrike hit a clinic run by Médecins Sans Frontières, forcing it to leave Kunduz Province — the latest in a growing number of humanitarian agencies withdrawing from the north as violence increases…” (James, 10/5).

New York Times: U.S. General Says Afghans Requested Airstrike That Hit Kunduz Hospital
“The American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell, said on Monday that Afghan forces had requested the airstrike that destroyed a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the city of Kunduz, conceding that the military had incorrectly reported at first that the response was to protect American troops said to be under direct threat…” (Rosenberg, 10/5).

Wall Street Journal: U.S. General Says Afghan Forces Requested Strike on Hospital in Kunduz
“…The assessment delivered Monday by Gen. John Campbell emerged from ongoing investigations into Saturday’s incident at the Doctors Without Borders hospital, in which 22 people were killed and numerous others injured. … The investigations, which are being conducted separately by the Afghan government, the U.S. military, and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, are in their early stages…” (Lubold/Amiri, 10/5).

Washington Post: U.S. military struggles to explain how it wound up bombing Doctors Without Borders hospital
“…It now ranks among one of the most high-profile U.S. strikes to result in civilian casualties in Afghanistan. In July 2002, a U.S. AC-130 fired on a wedding party, killing more than 40 and injuring more than 100 people in northern Helmand Province. Since the attack, Doctors Without Borders has left Kunduz” (Gibbons-Neff/Craig, 10/5).

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