Daily Times

WASHINGTON/KABUL – The US Department of Defence announced that 16 military personnel would be disciplined for the deadly US strike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October, but maintained that it was not a war crime because it resulted from unintentional human error and equipment failure.

The American TV channel CNN reported that the military said that some personnel involved failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict, and that a general officer was among those facing discipline for their roles in the bombing of the Doctors Without Borders hospital. The punishments include suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining.

Ato the US military, these punishments would have adverse effects on promotion of the personnel involved. Twelve of the punishments were administered by US Forces Afghanistan, while the remainders were carried out by US Special Operations Command. US Central Command commander Gen Joseph Votel made the announcement at a news conference in Washington.

The investigation had identified 16 service personnel that had warranted consideration for appropriate administrative or disciplinary action. “The comprehensive investigation concluded that this tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures,” Votel said in explaining the decision not to regard the incident as a war crime.

He also said that the aircrews were unaware that they were firing on a hospital. The hospital was operated by the non-governmental organisation Doctors without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which was located approximately 400 meters from the intended target, a Taliban-controlled site, according to the report.

“We just need to remember that since the beginning, MSF has asked for an independent investigation to really understand and to make clear what happened in Kunduz and that unfortunately despite the fact that the US has had an internal investigation, this independent investigation hasn’t happened yet and we keep asking for it,” he said.

“We extend our deepest condolences to those injured and to the families of those killed in this tragic incident,” Votel stressed while talking to the journalists, adding that the Pentagon was fully committed to learning from this tragedy and minimizing the risk of civilian casualties during future combat operations.

“This was an extreme situation we were dealing with,” Votel said, noting that the Taliban in the area were in possession of a surface-to-air missile, a rarity in the Afghanistan conflict. He noted that the investigation was overseen by then-commander of the US forces in Afghanistan, Gen John Campbell, and was carried out by three US generals who were brought in from outside Afghanistan in order to provide an objective perspective.

The investigators interviewed 65 witnesses, including personnel at the trauma center and members of US and Afghan militaries, and reviewed thousands of documents. “The investigation found that the tragic incident resulted from a combination of unintentional human errors and equipment failures, and that none of the personnel knew that they were striking a medical facility,” the report further said.