Top general in Afghanistan: US strike on hospital a mistake
4 photos
WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces attacked a hospital in northern Afghanistan last weekend, killing at least 22 people, despite "rigorous" U.S. military procedures designed to avoid such mistakes, the top commander of U.S. and allied forces in Afghanistan said Tuesday.
Gen. John F. Campbell told a Senate committee that Afghan forces requested air support Saturday while engaged in combat with Taliban fighters in the city of Kunduz, communicating with U.S. special operations troops at the scene. Those U.S. forces were in contact with the AC-130 gunship that fired on the hospital, Campbell said.
"To be clear, the decision to provide (airstrikes) was a U.S. decision, made within the U.S. chain of command," Campbell said. "The hospital was mistakenly struck. We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility."
Appearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Campbell said he could not provide more details about what happened, including who may have failed to follow procedures for avoiding attacks on hospitals. He said he must await the outcome of multiple investigations.
The medical clinic that was struck was operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders.
Campbell had disclosed on Monday that Afghan troops requested the airstrike.
"Even though the Afghans request that support, it still has to go through a rigorous U.S. procedure to enable fires to go on the ground," Campbell said. "Fires" means weapons fire — in this case howitzer or other fire from the AC-130 gunship.
Anti-war protesters sat in the front row of Tuesday's hearing with red coloring, depicting blood, on their faces. They carried signs that read: "Healthcare not warfare," ''Afghan hospital bombing is a war crime" and "Kunduz victims: RIP."
Christopher Stokes, general director of Doctors Without Borders, has said "there can be no justification for this horrible attack" and that it was critical to conduct "a full transparent independent investigation."
Campbell also testified that he has provided his superiors with options for altering President Barack Obama's plan for reducing the U.S. troop presence after 2016 from its current level of about 9,800 to an embassy-based security operation of about 1,000. He said conditions in Afghanistan have changed significantly since Obama approved that plan in 2014.
Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday the Pentagon is providing options to the White House and Obama will be making decisions about future force levels later this fall.
Kunduz has been the scene of heavy fighting in recent days.
A Taliban assault on Kunduz took Afghan authorities by surprise and embarrassed President Ashraf Ghani's administration. The Taliban, who attacked on multiple fronts, held the city for three days before a government counter-offensive began. Afghan forces have retaken Kunduz, an important city on the Tajikistan border, a hub for drug and gun smuggling to and from Central Asian countries.
___
Associated Press writers Robert Burns and Lolita C. Baldor contributed to this report.
I think that is is awful that the hospital with many people got fired down. I think that it wasn't our fault for the hospital because the Afghan people are the one who ordered for the airstrike in the first place. "The hospital was mistakenly hit" said Campbell. I do not think that this airstrike happened on purpose.
ReplyDeleteThe Afghan people's hospital should not have been destroyed and those people should not have died. I agree with Kaci that it was probably an accident. The General should not be accused guilty for what happened. We should give him the benefit of the doubt that it was an accident.
ReplyDeleteIt honestly makes me sick to my stomach that these 22 people in the hospital were hit but it was not on purpose. They were innocent people that didn't deserve to be hit by what was going on outside of the hospital. They should not blame the people that did it it was a total accident.
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Karly Hagen
This attack by the U.S on the afghan hospital was a huge mistake. It was an accident, but it still shouldn't have happened. I don't understand how hard it is to just check before you shoot. I also agree that "this Afghan hospital bombing is a war crime" (anti-war protesters) and someone should be held accountable. It should not been to complicated to check if you are actually bombing a hospital before you do.
ReplyDeleteThis attack that was held by the U.S. was unneccessary and did not resolve anything. It is clear that it was an accident as it states "Despite rigorous military procedures designed to avoid such mistakes..." (Associated Press). I think that the members involved should not be guilty yet evaluate and let what they did process through their mind. Due to this freak accident, they already feel bad enough for killing these innocent people.
ReplyDeleteDon't take this the wrong way but "What the Hell america" apparently we don't know how to check before we shoot i mean how hard is that. Not only did the us murder many people but they also committed a war crime. i thought the united states were better that this but i guess i was wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis is another one if those topics where it already happened and there isnt anything we can do. It is terrible the the hospital was accidentally hit. What I find interesting is that the Afghan people had called the air strike on the hospital. But lets be glad that this did not happen to a bigger hospital or anything else, I feel bad for the people that where in that hospital.
ReplyDeleteThe U.S. attack on a hospital was completely unnecessary. Even though it was an accident it shouldn't have happened. Also I do agree that "this Afghan hospital bombing is a war crime" (anti-war protesters). The army should have been more careful in the position the bomb was going to hit to make sure something like this didn't happen . Someone needs to be held accountable.
ReplyDeleteThe attack that the U.S. made on the medical facility was what i think a human error. Obviously this kind of human error should not cause 22 people to die from an air strike from an AC-130. This is a serious matter and the General said,"We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility." Afghan forces did request the air support. I still believe that this was still human error.
ReplyDeleteThis is unexcusable! The United States can not be so careless as to make mistakes like this. Even though the United States claimed it was an accident "we would never intentionally target a protected hospital." (Campbell). This is still not right and the Afghanistan nation has every right to be mad
ReplyDeleteZach potter per 5
While it is sad that U.S. military ordinance shot out a hospital, we are in a war on terror. We have been in this war for almost 30 years. Sadly, from a chain of command perspective, that hospital and everyone inside was collateral. War is war. ISIS has committed far worse "war-crimes" than this.
ReplyDeleteThis is another one if those topics where it already happened and there isnt anything we can do. It is terrible the the hospital was accidentally hit. What I find interesting is that the Afghan people had called the air strike on the hospital. But lets be glad that this did not happen to a bigger hospital or anything else, I feel bad for the people that where in that hospital.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete