547,000+ sign petition calling for independent probe into U.S. bombing of MSF hospital

The international medical aid agency Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday delivered a petition signed by more than 547,000 to the White House, demanding an independent investigation into a deadly U.S. airstrike that mistakenly targeted its Afghan hospital.

"Only a full accounting by an independent, international body can restore our confidence in the commitments of the United States to uphold the laws of war, which prohibit such attacks on hospitals in the strongest terms," said Jason Cone, executive director of the U.S. branch of the organization, also known by its French language acronym MSF.

"It is not sufficient for the perpetrators of attacks on medical facilities to be the only investigators," Cone said.

On Oct. 3, a U.S. AC-130 gunship devastated an Afghan hospital run by the MSF in Kunduz, killing at least 30 civilians and injuring another 37.

Four days after the strike, U.S. President Barack Obama called Joanne Liu, the international president of the MSF, to "apologize and express his condolences."

While Liu had urged Obama to consent to the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) investigation "without delay," the request had not been met so far.

"To date, we have not received any official response from the Obama administration on our request for an independent investigation," Cone said here on Wednesday.

"So, we are again calling on President Obama to consent to the fact-finding commission," he added.

Established under the Geneva Conventions in 1991, the IHFFC cannot carry out an investigation without consent of countries involved.

So far, a long-delayed Pentagon investigation had concluded that the deadly U.S. airstrike was "caused primarily by human error," and that some members of U.S. forces involved in the incident did not follow the rules of engagement. Endit