Roundup: U.S. air raids on hospital in N. Afghanistan draw wide condemnation

The air strikes during military operations in Afghanistan northern Kunduz province to evict Taliban militants from the city hit the hospital of an aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on Saturday which 19 people including staff members of the hospital dead and injured more than three dozen others has been widely condemned at home and abroad.

MSF in a statement released here, besides demanding explanation from the U.S. military has condemned the strike on the hospital in its strongest possible term.

"Twelve staff members and at least seven patients, including three children, were killed; 37 people were injured including 19 staff members," the statement asserted.

The statement stressed that, "All indications currently point to the bombing being carried out by international Coalition forces. MSF demands a full and transparent account from the Coalition regarding its aerial bombing activities over Kunduz on Saturday morning."

"MSF also calls for an independent investigation of the attack to ensure maximum transparency and accountability," the statement farther said.

"This attack is abhorrent and a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law," said Meinie Nicolai, MSF President in the statement, noting, "We demand total transparency from Coalition forces. We cannot accept that this horrific loss of life will simply be dismissed as 'collateral damage'. "

MSF stated in the statement that from 2:08 a.m. local time until 3:15 a.m. local time Saturday, MSF's trauma hospital in Kunduz was hit by a series of aerial bombing raids at approximately 15 minute intervals and the main central hospital building, housing the intensive care unit, emergency rooms, and physiotherapy ward, was repeatedly hit very precisely during each aerial raid, while surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched.

In a surprise attack, Taliban militants captured major parts of Kunduz city the capital of Kunduz province 250 km north of Kabul last Monday and government forces backed by U.S. military launched counter-offensive on Thursday and so far, according to Kunduz police, hundreds of Taliban insurgents have been killed.

Kunduz police spokesman Sayed Sarwar Hussaini, in talks with Xinhua asserted that the Taliban militants has used the MSF hospital as their hiding place to conduct subversive activities.

The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has also strongly condemned the air raids against hospital in the northern Kunduz city.

"I condemn in the strongest terms the tragic and devastating air strike on the Medecins sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz early Saturday morning, which resulted in the deaths and injury of medical personnel, patients and other civilians," Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General's Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan ( UNAMA) said in a statement released here.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also condemned the air strike on the hospital in Kunduz city Af on Saturday and called for an impartial investigation of the incident.

The U.S. President Barack Obama, according to media reports has also denounced the strike on hospital in Kunduz city and assured a thorough investigation into an apparent U.S. forces air strike on the hospital.

Afghan president Mohammad Ashraf Ghani has expressed his deep sorrow over the killing and wounding of civilians including the staff and doctors of Doctors without Borders as a result of the ongoing military operations in Kunduz Province, a statement released by Presidential Palace here said.

President Ghani reiterates that the Afghan and foreign forces alike must put in serious efforts not to target public places in military operations, the statement of Afghan Presidential Palace stressed.

Meantime, U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a statement released late Saturday confirmed that the U.S. forces conducted an airstrike in Kunduz city at 2:15a.m. local time, Oct. 3, against insurgents who were directly firing upon U.S. service members advising and assisting Afghan Security Forces in the city of Kunduz. The strike was conducted in the vicinity of a Doctors Without Borders medical facility.

"I have spoken with President Ghani regarding today's events. While we work to thoroughly examine the incident and determine what happened, my thoughts and prayers are with those affected. We continue to advise and assist our Afghan partners as they clear the city of Kunduz and surrounding areas of insurgents. As always, we will take all reasonable steps to protect civilians from harm," General John F. Campbell, the Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan said in the statement. Endi