A US military investigation has concluded that a deadly air strike in Afghanistan last year that destroyed a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) did not amount to a war crime but was caused by a number of factors, including human errors.
Forty-two people were killed and 37 were wounded during the October 3 strike that destroyed a hospital run by the international medical charity.
An initial US investigation in November found that US forces had meant to target a different building in the city of Kunduz and were led off-track by a technical error in their aircraft's mapping system.
"The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict, however, the investigation did not conclude that these failures amounted to a war crime," said General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, in a news briefing on Friday to release the final report.
General Votel said it was not a war crime because none of the service members were aware that they were striking a hospital.
The report into the deadly air strike said that condolence payments had been made to more than 170 individuals and families and $US5.7 million had been approved to reconstruct the MSF facility.
General Votel said that $US3,000 had been paid for those injured, and $US6,000 for those killed.
He added that the investigation found that the incident was caused by "unintentional human errors, process errors, and equipment failures".
The report added that fatigue and "high operational tempo" were also factors.
MSF president Meinie Nicolai responded in a statement that the briefing amounted to "an admission of an uncontrolled military operation in a densely populated urban area, during which US forces failed to follow the basic laws of war".
Many victims of the strike in Afghanistan also said in interviews that they were unsatisfied with the findings and actions being taken by the US.
"There's a lot of talking without much happening," said Obaidullah Nazari, who survived in the basement when his brother, a patient at the hospital, died in the attack.
General Votel said that even though there were less US forces on the ground compared to previous years, he was comfortable with the ability of the military to evaluate risk factors.
source : abna24
