USA untersuchen Luftangriff auf Hospital in Kundus mit Personal ‚außerhalb der Befehlskette‘ (Update)

Den Luftangriff auf ein Krankenhaus der Organisation Ärzte ohne Grenzen in der nordafghanischen Stadt Kundus, bei der nach den neuesten Angaben 23 Menschen ums Leben kamen, wollen die USA von Soldaten außerhalb der normalen Befehlskette in Afghanistan untersuchen lassen. Eine vorläufige Einschätzung des Luftschlags von einem US-Flugzeug habe bestätigt, dass Zivilisten Opfer des Angriffs wurden. Das teilte das Kommando der NATO-geführten Mission Resolute Support am (heutigen) Samstag in Kabul mit.

Update: Die Mitteilung von Resolute Support:

The NATO Resolute Support Combined Civilian Casualty Assessment Team (CCAT) is continuing its inquiry into the Oct. 3 incident involving the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) facility in Kunduz, Afghanistan.
“The Combined Civilian Casualty Assessment Team determined that the reports of civilian casualties were credible, and we continue to work with the government of Afghanistan to fully identify the victims,” said Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner, Resolute Support Spokesman.
To ensure the U.S. national investigation is conducted in an independent and unbiased manner, Gen. John Campbell, Resolute Support Commander, has appointed U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Hickman and two Brigadier Generals – all from outside the command – to conduct the U.S. national investigation into this incident. They will continue the work on the national investigation begun by Brig. Gen. Richard Kim.

“My intent is to disclose the findings of the investigation once it is complete,” said Gen. Campbell. “We will be forthright and transparent and we will hold ourselves accountable for any mistakes made. While we desire the investigation to be timely, what’s most important is that it be done thoroughly and correctly. We appreciate your patience and we understand the desire for answers to this tragic incident. We desire the same, and we are committed to providing all information we can once the investigation is complete. We express our deepest condolences to the families of those affected by this incident.”
“Both inquiries continue to look at a series of potential human errors, failures of process and technical malfunctions that may have contributed to the mistaken strike on the hospital,” said Brig. Gen. Shoffner.
The investigations are independent, and the results of one are not bound by those of the other.

Die AP-Meldung dazu:

NATO said Saturday it was continuing its inquiry into the Oct. 3 bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in northern Afghanistan and had appointed three U.S. military officers from outside the chain of command to handle the investigation to ensure impartiality.
Gen. John Campbell, the commander of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission which is training Afghanistan’s security forces, has appointed U.S. Army Maj. Gen. William Hickman and two brigadier generals to continue the investigation begun by Brig. Gen. Richard Kim, NATO said in a statement.
„We will be forthright and transparent and we will hold ourselves accountable for any mistakes made,“ the statement quoted Campbell as saying. „While we desire the investigation to be timely, what’s most important is that it be done thoroughly and correctly.“

Nach Angaben der US-Soldatenzeitung Stars&Stripes bezeichnete Resolute Support die Angaben, dass Zivilisten die Opfer waren, als glaubhaft:

A coalition investigation team has officially acknowledged that civilians were likely killed by the American airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz earlier this month.
The initial assessment, released by the NATO-led Resolute Support coalition on Saturday, adds no new information to the controversy over what happened on Oct. 3, when a U.S. special operations AC-130 shelled the hospital. (…)
“The Combined Civilian Casualty Assessment Team determined that the reports of civilian casualties were credible, and we continue to work with the government of Afghanistan to fully identify the victims,” Resolute Support spokesman Brig. Gen. Wilson Shoffner said in a statement.
Several investigations have been launched by NATO, the American military and the Afghan government, but MSF is demanding a probe by an independent third party, such as the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.

Am (gestrigen) Freitag hatte Ärzte ohne Grenzen (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) mitgeteilt, dass die Zahl der Todesopfer nach dem Anstieg auf 23 gestiegen sei. Die Zahl der Toten und Verletzten stehe aber noch nicht endgültig fest:

Nearly three weeks after the 3 October US bombing of the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) trauma centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan, MSF announces with sadness that the death toll is still rising, with one more staff member confirmed to have been killed.
As of 23 October the revised figures now stand at 13 MSF staff dead and 1 MSF staff presumed dead, 10 patients dead and 2 patients presumed dead.
Efforts are ongoing to determine the identities of seven other unrecognisable bodies found in the wreck of the hospital, all of whom have now been buried. These unfortunately may not be final numbers.
So far MSF confirms 27 staff injured and also many patients and caretakers. Following the chaos of the attack, tracing patients has been extremely difficult and a definite number of wounded may be impossible to determine.

(Foto: Das ausgebrannte Krankenhaus in Kundus nach dem Luftangriff – MSF)