Neue Details zum Luftangriff auf MSF-Klinik: Hospital unter Taliban-Kontrolle vermutet?

In this image taken 01 October 2015 staff and doctors in the MSF Trauma Centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan, treat people wounded in fighting that has broken out in the town. NOTE: This image was taken two days before the hospital came under aerieal attack killing staff members and patients and partially destroying the facility. "Since Monday morning, weÕve received 296 wounded patients, including 64 children. Seventy-four of our patients arrived in a critical condition. Most have gunshot wounds from being caught in the crossfire. Our surgeons have been treating very severe abdominal wounds and limb and head injuries. " said Dr Masood Nasim, 01 Oct 2015. "The hospital has been completely full of patients. We normally have a capacity of 92 beds, but we expanded immediately and increased theÊnumber of beds to 150. There have been patients in the offices, in the examination rooms, and being stabilised on mattresses on the floor."

Zu dem Luftangriff auf ein Krankenhaus der Organisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen in der nordafghanischen Stadt Kundus sind neue Einzelheiten bekanntgeworden, die auf schwerwiegende Fehler des US-Militärs hindeuten. Bei dem Luftschlag am 3. Oktober, der vermutlich 30 Menschen das Leben kostete, waren möglicherweise US-Soldaten zwar informiert, dass es sich um ein Krankenhaus handelte – sie gingen aber davon aus, dass es unter Kontrolle der Taliban sei.

Aus der aktuellen Meldung der Associated Press vom (heutigen) Montag:

The Army Green Berets who requested the Oct. 3 airstrike on the Doctors without Borders trauma centre in Afghanistan were aware it was a functioning hospital but believed it was under Taliban control, The Associated Press has learned.

(…)
A day before an American AC130 gunship attacked the hospital, a senior officer in the Green Beret unit wrote in a report that U.S. forces had discussed the hospital with the country director of the medical charity group, presumably in Kabul, according to two people who have seen the document.
Separately, in the days before the attack, „an official in Washington“ asked Doctors without Borders „whether our hospital had a large group of Taliban fighters in it,“ spokesman Tim Shenk said in an email. „We replied that this was not the case. We also stated that we were very clear with both sides to the conflict about the need to respect medical structures.“
Taken together, the revelations add to the growing possibility that U.S. forces destroyed what they knew was a functioning hospital, which would be a violation of the international rules of war.

Die Untersuchungen – des US-Militärs, der NATO und der Afghanen, bislang nicht von unabhängiger dritter Seite – laufen noch; deshalb dürfte es dafür vorerst keine Bestätigung geben. Wenn tatsächlich das Krankenhaus deswegen Ziel war, weil es in feindlicher Hand vermutet wurde, hätte das weitgehende rechtliche Konsequenzen.

(Foto: In this image taken 01 October 2015 staff and doctors in the MSF Trauma Centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan, treat people wounded in fighting that has broken out in the town. This image was taken two days before the hospital came under aerieal attack killing staff members and patients and partially destroying the facility – MSF)