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| US and Afghanistan vow investigation into air strike on MSF hospital – as it happened | US and Afghanistan vow investigation into air strike on MSF hospital – as it happened |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| 9.56pm BST | 9.56pm BST |
| 21:56 | 21:56 |
| Related: Kunduz charity hospital bombing 'violates international law' | Related: Kunduz charity hospital bombing 'violates international law' |
| 9.50pm BST | 9.50pm BST |
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| The air strike was likely not pre-planned, write fellow Micah Zenko and Amelia Wolf of the Council of Foreign Relations in a post about the details of the incident. | The air strike was likely not pre-planned, write fellow Micah Zenko and Amelia Wolf of the Council of Foreign Relations in a post about the details of the incident. |
| According to an anonymous U.S. official, the attack was by an AC-130 gunship at the request of U.S. ground troops coming under fire. This means it was not a pre-planned airstrike, which, under U.S. military policy for Afghanistan, requires a collateral damage estimation to characterize the extent of collateral damage risk, but rather it was a close air support airstrike done at the request of a support ground commander who perceived an imminent threat to Coalition forces. For the last month for which there is data available (August), there were 143 Coalition airstrikes in Afghanistan, the most in ten months. | According to an anonymous U.S. official, the attack was by an AC-130 gunship at the request of U.S. ground troops coming under fire. This means it was not a pre-planned airstrike, which, under U.S. military policy for Afghanistan, requires a collateral damage estimation to characterize the extent of collateral damage risk, but rather it was a close air support airstrike done at the request of a support ground commander who perceived an imminent threat to Coalition forces. For the last month for which there is data available (August), there were 143 Coalition airstrikes in Afghanistan, the most in ten months. |
| In an effort to document the overall civilian deaths, assign responsibility, and identify the means of lethality, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has produced 15 reports on the protection of civilians since 2007. | In an effort to document the overall civilian deaths, assign responsibility, and identify the means of lethality, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) has produced 15 reports on the protection of civilians since 2007. |
| As the best independent and impartial source of information, we have summarized UNAMA’s grim data for the nearly 22,849 documented civilian deaths in the tables below. | As the best independent and impartial source of information, we have summarized UNAMA’s grim data for the nearly 22,849 documented civilian deaths in the tables below. |
| Coalition airstrikes killed 1,707 civilians in Afghanistan (says UN). http://t.co/LcL3VXTsPW But most attributed to Taliban. | Coalition airstrikes killed 1,707 civilians in Afghanistan (says UN). http://t.co/LcL3VXTsPW But most attributed to Taliban. |
| 9.25pm BST | 9.25pm BST |
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| The air strike is the latest in a long line of bloody misjudgments by foreign forces in Afghanistan, my colleague Emma Graham-Harrison writes. | The air strike is the latest in a long line of bloody misjudgments by foreign forces in Afghanistan, my colleague Emma Graham-Harrison writes. |
| Deaths from Nato airstrikes, which at their worst point killed hundreds of Afghan civilians a year, were a key factor in turning Afghan sentiment against foreign troops during more than a decade of war. | Deaths from Nato airstrikes, which at their worst point killed hundreds of Afghan civilians a year, were a key factor in turning Afghan sentiment against foreign troops during more than a decade of war. |
| Men, women and children died in bombings on homes, weddings and once even a raid on more than 100 villagers who had clustered around abandoned tankers to collect free fuel. | Men, women and children died in bombings on homes, weddings and once even a raid on more than 100 villagers who had clustered around abandoned tankers to collect free fuel. |
| The aftermath of such strikes followed a familiar pattern that exacerbated anger, with Nato denying it had hit civilians or disputing the numbers of dead. | The aftermath of such strikes followed a familiar pattern that exacerbated anger, with Nato denying it had hit civilians or disputing the numbers of dead. |
| The attack and deaths have already prompted anger towards US and Afghan forces, but despite the scale of the tragedy, President Ashraf Ghani would struggle to restore a ban on airstrikes. | The attack and deaths have already prompted anger towards US and Afghan forces, but despite the scale of the tragedy, President Ashraf Ghani would struggle to restore a ban on airstrikes. |
| Back-up from planes and drones has become one of the clearest military advantages for often ramshackle Afghan forces fighting a hardened insurgency. | Back-up from planes and drones has become one of the clearest military advantages for often ramshackle Afghan forces fighting a hardened insurgency. |
| The battle for Kunduz provided a blunt reminder of how important such weapons are, as the last line of defence for an airport where thousands of civilians and troops had taken shelter after the Taliban seized most of the city. | The battle for Kunduz provided a blunt reminder of how important such weapons are, as the last line of defence for an airport where thousands of civilians and troops had taken shelter after the Taliban seized most of the city. |
| Taliban fighters had breached the airport perimeter before airstrikes helped push them back, protecting those inside and allowing ground troops to begin the slow battle to reclaim the city. | Taliban fighters had breached the airport perimeter before airstrikes helped push them back, protecting those inside and allowing ground troops to begin the slow battle to reclaim the city. |
| Related: Hospital bombing follows pattern of deadly foreign errors in Afghanistan | Related: Hospital bombing follows pattern of deadly foreign errors in Afghanistan |
| 9.00pm BST | 9.00pm BST |
| 21:00 | 21:00 |
| “In the intensive care unit six patients were burning in their beds,” Lajos Zoltan Jecs, an MSF nurse working at the hospital during the air strike said, recounting the harrowing bombing and chaos of the scene in a statement. | “In the intensive care unit six patients were burning in their beds,” Lajos Zoltan Jecs, an MSF nurse working at the hospital during the air strike said, recounting the harrowing bombing and chaos of the scene in a statement. |
| “I was sleeping in our safe room in the hospital. At around 2am I was woken up by the sound of a big explosion nearby. At first I didn’t know what was going on. Over the past week we’d heard bombings and explosions before, but always further away. This one was different - close and loud. | “I was sleeping in our safe room in the hospital. At around 2am I was woken up by the sound of a big explosion nearby. At first I didn’t know what was going on. Over the past week we’d heard bombings and explosions before, but always further away. This one was different - close and loud. |
| At first there was confusion, and dust settling. As we were trying to work out what was happening, there was more bombing. | At first there was confusion, and dust settling. As we were trying to work out what was happening, there was more bombing. |
| After 20 or 30 minutes, I heard someone calling my name. It was one of the Emergency Room nurses. He staggered in with massive trauma to his arm. He was covered in blood, with wounds all over his body. | After 20 or 30 minutes, I heard someone calling my name. It was one of the Emergency Room nurses. He staggered in with massive trauma to his arm. He was covered in blood, with wounds all over his body. |
| At that point my brain just couldn’t understand what was happening. For a second I was just stood still, shocked. In the safe room, we have a limited supply of basic medical essentials, but there was no morphine to stop his pain. We did what we could. | At that point my brain just couldn’t understand what was happening. For a second I was just stood still, shocked. In the safe room, we have a limited supply of basic medical essentials, but there was no morphine to stop his pain. We did what we could. |
| About half an hour later, Jecs continues, the bombing stopped and he and a colleague found the hospital itself burning. | About half an hour later, Jecs continues, the bombing stopped and he and a colleague found the hospital itself burning. |
| We went to look for survivors. A few had already made it to one of the safe rooms. One by one, people started appearing, wounded, including some of our colleagues and caretakers of patients. | We went to look for survivors. A few had already made it to one of the safe rooms. One by one, people started appearing, wounded, including some of our colleagues and caretakers of patients. |
| We tried to take a look into one of the burning buildings. I cannot describe what was inside. There are no words for how terrible it was. In the Intensive Care Unit six patients were burning in their beds. | We tried to take a look into one of the burning buildings. I cannot describe what was inside. There are no words for how terrible it was. In the Intensive Care Unit six patients were burning in their beds. |
| We looked for some staff that were supposed to be in the operating theatre. It was awful. A patient there on the operating table, dead, in the middle of the destruction. We couldn’t find our staff. | We looked for some staff that were supposed to be in the operating theatre. It was awful. A patient there on the operating table, dead, in the middle of the destruction. We couldn’t find our staff. |
| Eventually they found some of the staff – several people are still missing – in another building and in a bunker, where the team eventually organized a plan to save whomever they could, doctors, patients and staffers. | Eventually they found some of the staff – several people are still missing – in another building and in a bunker, where the team eventually organized a plan to save whomever they could, doctors, patients and staffers. |
| We did an urgent surgery for one of our doctors. Unfortunately he died there on the office table. We did our best, but it wasn’t enough. | We did an urgent surgery for one of our doctors. Unfortunately he died there on the office table. We did our best, but it wasn’t enough. |
| The whole situation was very hard. We saw our colleagues dying. Our pharmacist - I was just talking to him last night and planning the stocks, and then he died there in our office. | The whole situation was very hard. We saw our colleagues dying. Our pharmacist - I was just talking to him last night and planning the stocks, and then he died there in our office. |
| The first moments were just chaos. Enough staff had survived, so we could help all the wounded with treatable wounds. But there were too many that we couldn’t help. | The first moments were just chaos. Enough staff had survived, so we could help all the wounded with treatable wounds. But there were too many that we couldn’t help. |
| Finally, Jecs recalls how shock and the emotional toll of the experience set in. | Finally, Jecs recalls how shock and the emotional toll of the experience set in. |
| Some of my colleagues were in too much shock, crying and crying. I tried to encourage some of the staff to help, to give them something to concentrate on, to take their minds off the horror. But some were just too shocked to do anything. | Some of my colleagues were in too much shock, crying and crying. I tried to encourage some of the staff to help, to give them something to concentrate on, to take their minds off the horror. But some were just too shocked to do anything. |
| Seeing adult men, your friends, crying uncontrollably - that is not easy. | Seeing adult men, your friends, crying uncontrollably - that is not easy. |
| These are people who had been working hard for months, non-stop for the past week. They had not gone home, they had not seen their families, they had just been working in the hospital to help people... and now they are dead. | These are people who had been working hard for months, non-stop for the past week. They had not gone home, they had not seen their families, they had just been working in the hospital to help people... and now they are dead. |
| These people are friends, close friends. I have no words to express this. It is unspeakable. | These people are friends, close friends. I have no words to express this. It is unspeakable. |
| You can read Jecs’ entire account here. | You can read Jecs’ entire account here. |
| 8.31pm BST | 8.31pm BST |
| 20:31 | 20:31 |
| “Thick black smoke could be seen rising from some of the rooms,” Saad Mukhtar, Kunduz’s directory of public health has told Reuters of his visit to the ruined MSF hospital. “The fighting is still going on, so we had to leave.” | “Thick black smoke could be seen rising from some of the rooms,” Saad Mukhtar, Kunduz’s directory of public health has told Reuters of his visit to the ruined MSF hospital. “The fighting is still going on, so we had to leave.” |
| At the charred remains of aid group’s facility, one wall of a building had collapsed, scattering fragments of glass and wooden door frames, and three rooms were still ablaze, Mukhtar said. | At the charred remains of aid group’s facility, one wall of a building had collapsed, scattering fragments of glass and wooden door frames, and three rooms were still ablaze, Mukhtar said. |
| Resident Khodaidad told Reuters the Taliban had been using the hospital buildings for cover during fighting on Friday. | Resident Khodaidad told Reuters the Taliban had been using the hospital buildings for cover during fighting on Friday. |
| “I could hear sounds of heavy gunfire, explosions and airplanes throughout the night,” he said. “There were several huge explosions and it sounded like the roof was falling on me.” | “I could hear sounds of heavy gunfire, explosions and airplanes throughout the night,” he said. “There were several huge explosions and it sounded like the roof was falling on me.” |
| Adil Akbar, a doctor at the center who was on duty at the time, told the AP that the operating room, emergency room and other parts of the hospital compound had been bombed. | Adil Akbar, a doctor at the center who was on duty at the time, told the AP that the operating room, emergency room and other parts of the hospital compound had been bombed. |
| “I managed to escape after the attack but I know that most of the staff and even some of the patients are missing,” he said. | “I managed to escape after the attack but I know that most of the staff and even some of the patients are missing,” he said. |
| Afghan troops backed by US air strikes and special forces have fought to push the Taliban out of Kunduz since the militants captured it last week, and interior ministry spokesperson Seddiq Seddiqi told the AP that soldiers are conducting “meter to meter, house to house operations”. | Afghan troops backed by US air strikes and special forces have fought to push the Taliban out of Kunduz since the militants captured it last week, and interior ministry spokesperson Seddiq Seddiqi told the AP that soldiers are conducting “meter to meter, house to house operations”. |
| The city has gone without electricity and water since Monday, and food and medical supplies have been slow to arrive as the Afghan military clears mines planted around the city. | The city has gone without electricity and water since Monday, and food and medical supplies have been slow to arrive as the Afghan military clears mines planted around the city. |
| Most of the Taliban fighters appear to have fled the city after the troops moved in Thursday, taking looted vehicles, weapons and ammunition with them. | Most of the Taliban fighters appear to have fled the city after the troops moved in Thursday, taking looted vehicles, weapons and ammunition with them. |
| Officials have reported that they have moved east, into Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, where a number of districts fell to the Taliban on Friday. The Defense Ministry said troops had retaken the Baharak district after retreating under fire Friday. | Officials have reported that they have moved east, into Takhar and Badakhshan provinces, where a number of districts fell to the Taliban on Friday. The Defense Ministry said troops had retaken the Baharak district after retreating under fire Friday. |
| 8.20pm BST | 8.20pm BST |
| 20:20 | 20:20 |
| The executive director for MSF in the US quotes a nurse who survived the air strike. | The executive director for MSF in the US quotes a nurse who survived the air strike. |
| .@MSF nurse in Kunduz rescuing patients/staff: "There are no words for how terrible it was. In ICU 6 patients were burning in their beds." | .@MSF nurse in Kunduz rescuing patients/staff: "There are no words for how terrible it was. In ICU 6 patients were burning in their beds." |
| .@MSF: "We looked for some staff that were supposed to be in the OR. A patient there on the operating table, dead, in middle of destruction" | .@MSF: "We looked for some staff that were supposed to be in the OR. A patient there on the operating table, dead, in middle of destruction" |
| 8.16pm BST | 8.16pm BST |
| 20:16 | 20:16 |
| The Associated Press has started to receive photos of the hospital as it was on Friday and early Saturday morning. | The Associated Press has started to receive photos of the hospital as it was on Friday and early Saturday morning. |
| 8.01pm BST | 8.01pm BST |
| 20:01 | 20:01 |
| The UN’s high commissioner for human rights has warned that the bombing of the MSF hospital could constitute a war crime. | The UN’s high commissioner for human rights has warned that the bombing of the MSF hospital could constitute a war crime. |
| In a statement, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called the air strike “utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal”. | In a statement, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein called the air strike “utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal”. |
| “This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public,” he said. | “This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public,” he said. |
| “The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime.” | “The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime.” |
| 7.42pm BST | 7.42pm BST |
| 19:42 | 19:42 |
| American army general John Campbell has released a statement on the air strike. saying it targeted “against insurgents who were directly firing upon US servicemembers”. | American army general John Campbell has released a statement on the air strike. saying it targeted “against insurgents who were directly firing upon US servicemembers”. |
| US forces conducted an air strike in Kunduz city at 2.15am (local), Oct 3, against insurgents who were directly firing upon US servicemembers 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. | US forces conducted an air strike in Kunduz city at 2.15am (local), Oct 3, against insurgents who were directly firing upon US servicemembers 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 am aware of an incident that occured at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz city today,” said Gen John F Campbell, commander of US forces in Afghanistan. | “I am aware of an incident that occured at a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz city today,” said Gen John F Campbell, commander of US forces in Afghanistan. |
| “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.” | “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.” |
| The US military has opened an Army Regulation 15-6 investigation to obtain a complete assessment of the incident. | The US military has opened an Army Regulation 15-6 investigation to obtain a complete assessment of the incident. |
| 7.27pm BST | 7.27pm BST |
| 19:27 | 19:27 |
| Afghan officials claim that “terrorists” were firing on security forces from inside the hospital compound, contradicting the claims of MSF staffers who say only doctors, patients and staff were inside, AP reports. | Afghan officials claim that “terrorists” were firing on security forces from inside the hospital compound, contradicting the claims of MSF staffers who say only doctors, patients and staff were inside, AP reports. |
| The Ministry of Defense said “terrorists” armed with light and heavy weapons had entered the hospital compound and used “the buildings and the people inside as a shield” while firing on security forces. Brig. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, the ministry’s deputy spokesman, told The Associated Press that helicopter gunships fired on the militants, causing damage to the buildings. | The Ministry of Defense said “terrorists” armed with light and heavy weapons had entered the hospital compound and used “the buildings and the people inside as a shield” while firing on security forces. Brig. Gen. Dawlat Waziri, the ministry’s deputy spokesman, told The Associated Press that helicopter gunships fired on the militants, causing damage to the buildings. |
| Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 10 to 15 “terrorists” had been hiding in the hospital at the time of the strike. | Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said 10 to 15 “terrorists” had been hiding in the hospital at the time of the strike. |
| “All of the terrorists were killed but we also lost doctors,” he said. He said 80 staff members at the hospital, including 15 foreigners, had been taken to safety. He did not say what sort of strike had damaged the compound. | “All of the terrorists were killed but we also lost doctors,” he said. He said 80 staff members at the hospital, including 15 foreigners, had been taken to safety. He did not say what sort of strike had damaged the compound. |
| Around 2pm the Taliban seized the medical compound, according to Sarwar Hussaini, the spokesman for the provincial police chief. | Around 2pm the Taliban seized the medical compound, according to Sarwar Hussaini, the spokesman for the provincial police chief. |
| “Fighting is continuing between Afghan security forces and the Taliban,” he said. | “Fighting is continuing between Afghan security forces and the Taliban,” he said. |