MSF Calls For Fact-Finding Mission Under Geneva Convention Protocols To Investigate Kunduz Hospital Bombing

News outlets report on a speech given Wednesday in Geneva by Médecins Sans Frontières International President Joanne Liu, in which she called for an International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission to investigate the bombing of the group’s hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

Associated Press: Aid group seeks fact-finding mission over Kunduz strike
“Doctors Without Borders called for an independent and unprecedented fact-finding mission on Wednesday to investigate a U.S. airstrike on a hospital run by the medical aid group in Afghanistan that killed at least 22 people. The group, which believes Saturday’s airstrike in Kunduz may have been a war crime, appealed to the U.S., Afghanistan, and other countries to mobilize a little-known commission to look into the tragedy…” (Keaten, 10/7).

The Guardian: Afghan hospital bombing: MSF demands investigation under Geneva Conventions
“…The investigation would be a first step, aimed to establish facts about the incident and the chain of command that led to the strike, MSF said. Only then would it decide whether to bring criminal charges for loss of life and damage. The Geneva Conventions are a set of treaties regarding humanitarian issues of civilians and combatants in wartime…” (Tran, 10/7).

Washington Post: Aid group seeks independent probe into U.S. attack on Afghan hospital
“…On Tuesday, [Gen. John F. Campbell, who commands U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan,] told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the United States bore ultimate responsibility for authorizing strikes on a civilian compound. ‘A hospital was mistakenly struck,’ he said. ‘We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility’…” (Ryan/Deane, 10/7).

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