Kunduz Air Strikes 'Inexcusable', 'Possibly Criminal': UN Rights Chief
Source: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
3rd October 2015, Comments 0 comments
A suspected US air strike on a hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz that killed nine MSF staff on Saturday was "inexcusable" and "possibly criminal", UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.
Zeid called for a full and transparent investigation, noting that, "if established as deliberate in a court of law, an air strike on a hospital may amount to a war crime."
Doctors Without Borders -- known by its French acronym MSF -- said the bombardment continued for more than 30 minutes after Washington was informed and that both Afghan and US officials were given the precise location of MSF facilities.
"This event is utterly tragic, inexcusable and possibly even criminal," Zeid said in a statement.
Read more: http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/country-news/Kunduz-air-strikes-inexcusable-possibly-criminal-UN-rights-chief_509711.html
Bombed Afghan Hospital Staff Helpless As Patients Burned In Wards
By Krista Mahr
1 hour ago
KABUL (Reuters) - When the bombing started at 2:08 a.m. on Saturday morning at the Medecins Sans Frontieres compound in the Afghan city of Kunduz, the hospital staff was doing what they have been doing there for years: saving lives.
Earlier, a large group of passengers injured in a road accident had arrived at the compound's wide gates, according to Abdul Rauf, a logistics specialist who was on duty at the hospital.
Doctors were treating the patients late into the night when the hospital's main building came under bombardment, Rauf said, waking him and his colleagues who had been sleeping in a basement area.
"When I came outside, I saw bodies burned," Rauf said.
At least 19 staff and patients, including three children being treated, were killed and 37 people wounded when an air strike hit the hospital run by the medical charity, in what U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said on Saturday may amount to a war crime.
"The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round," said Heman Nagarathnam, MSF Head of Programmes in northern Afghanistan, in a statement. "There was a pause and then more bombs hit ... When I made it out from the office, the main hospital building was engulfed in flames."
MORE...
http://news.yahoo.com/bombed-afghan-hospital-staff-helpless-patients-burned-wards-202238533.html
840high
(17,196 posts)PSPS
(13,614 posts)peacebird
(14,195 posts)cpwm17
(3,829 posts)Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Geronimoe
(1,539 posts)This happened 18 hours ago and no statements from the administration.
Is anyone home at the White House?
peacebird
(14,195 posts)Do NOT bomb the hospital.
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)Is an oxymoron these days.
peacebird
(14,195 posts)joshcryer
(62,276 posts)And won't as long as we have drones. The American public loves them some drones.
philosslayer
(3,076 posts)President Obama needs to make some significant changes in the DOD hierarchy. Sounds like some remnants of the Bush administration are still making decisions.