MSF condemns suspected U.S. air strike on Kunduz hospital, evacuates int'l staff, stops hospital functioning

Following the air strikes on the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) hospital in Afghanistan northern Kunduz city on Saturday, the aid agency has stopped functioning and evacuated all its international staff, communication manager of the aid agency, Bao Zhuwei said on Sunday.

"All international staff have been evacuated following the attack. The MSF hospital is not functional anymore," the official told Xinhua.

She also added that all the patients in critical conditions have been referred to other health facilities and no MSF staff are working in the MSF-run hospital.

The U.S. military which supports Afghan forces in counter- offensive to retake Kunduz city, carried out air strikes and hit the MSF-run hospital on Saturday, which claimed 19 lives including 12 staff members of the hospital, and injured 37 others, MSF said in a statement released here.

Besides condemning the deadly air raid on the hospital, MSF has also demanded explanation from U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

"Some of our medical staff have gone to work in two hospitals where some of the wounded persons have been taken," Zhuwei said.

"It is important to keep in mind that according to humanitarian law, any injured person in the hospital is considered as non- combatant. In any case, bombing a fully functioning hospital can never be justified," she pointed out.

MSF in a statement released here on Sunday, 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 further 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.

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.

Meanwhile, U.S. forces in Afghanistan in a statement released here promised to initiate thorough investigation into the case. Endi