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US: Hospital strike was not a war crime

Reporter: Frances Kuo 丨 CCTV.com

04-30-2016 10:34 BJT

A deadly US air strike in Afghanistan last year destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders. It resulted in the death of 42 people and injured 37 others. Following an investigation in the incident, the Pentagon says the gunship attack wasn't a war crime.

The Pentagon report didn't exonerate U.S. military personnel for the hospital attack on October 3, 2015.  It blamed human error and equipment failure for the hospital strike that killed 42 people. U.S. air crews were supposed to hit a building seized by the Taliban in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.

As these images released by Doctors Without Borders show, the strikes left the hospital in a state of near total destruction. The dead included 24 patients, 14 medical staff and 4 caretakers.

However, the report released on Friday argues the incident was not a war crime since it was unintentional.

"The fact that this was an intentional, an unintentional action, takes it out of the realm of actually being a deliberate war crime against persons or protected locations. So, that is the principal reason why we do not consider this to be a war crim," said US Central Command General Joseph Votel.

Doctors Without Borders said it had given the U.S. the exact location of the hospital to keep it safe from friendly fire.

The Pentagon admits error and says there was a fatal difference of just 400 meters between the hospital and the alleged enemy target.

"The investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility. The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders trauma center," said General Joseph Votel.

The Pentagon investigation concluded the gunship attack resulted from a combination of human error, equipment failure and mistakes in processing the order to strike.

While Pentagon officials as well as President Barack Obama personally have apologized for the bombing, Kunduz residents still believe that apologies aren't enough.

"This act is not forgivable. Those criminals who have done it. If they are American or from anywhere else, who are involved in this issue, must be put on trial, in an open trail in Afghanistan, not in America," said Zabiullah Neyazi, MSF hospital attack survivor.

The Pentagon says the 16 personnel who carried out the gunship attack have been disciplined, but will not face criminal charges.

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