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US strike on Afghan hospital in 2015 not a war crime: Pentagon
A deadly US air strike in Afghanistan last year that destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders did not amount to a war crime but was caused by human error, equipment failure and other factors, a US military report has concluded.
Forty-two people were killed and 37 were wounded during an October 3 strike that destroyed the hospital run by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), known as Doctors Without Borders in English.
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,” General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, said in a news briefing on Friday to release the final report. “However, the investigation did not conclude that these failures amounted to a war crime.”
This is because none of the service members were aware that they were striking a hospital, Votel said.
The incident was caused by “unintentional human errors, process errors, and equipment failures,” he said. Fatigue and “high operational tempo” were also factors, he added.
MSG President Meinie Nicolai responded in a news release that the briefing amounted to “an admission of an uncontrolled military operation in a densely populated urban area, during which U.S. forces failed to follow the basic laws of war.”
MSF said the disciplinary action announced on Thursday against 16 service members over the air strike, including a general, was too light.
It is “out of proportion to the destruction of a protected medical facility,” MSF said.
The report said condolence payments had been made to more than 170 individuals and families and $5.7 million had been approved to reconstruct the MSF facility.
Votel said $3,000 had been paid for those injured, and $6,000 for those killed.
Many victims of the strike in Afghanistan said in interviews that they were unsatisfied with the findings and actions being taken by the United States.
“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
Votel said that even though fewer U.S. forces were on the ground than in previous years, he was comfortable with the ability of the military to evaluate risk factors.
The Obama administration plans to keep 5,500 troops in Afghanistan into 2017 for training and counter-terrorism operations, down from about 9,800 now.
The report said General John Campbell, who was then head of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, took action against 12 personnel involved in the strike.
“The actions included suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining,” the report said.
The other personnel were investigated by Votel.
Written by www.sbs.com.au
Following the concerns over terrorist threats from Afghanistan, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) says in a report that terrorist threats against US interests from Afghanistan and Pakistan are steadily rising.
The report stated that “Afghanistan presents growing space for terrorist groups compared to the period before the U.S. withdrawal.”
“ISIS-K [Daesh] presents a rising threat with reach beyond the immediate region, greater than during the pre-withdrawal period,” the report reads.
It added that “The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group has also returned as a regional security threat.”
“The study group’s final report evaluated and put forth policy options to mitigate terrorist threats and safeguard U.S. interests in Afghanistan and Pakistan, while maintaining the current focus on strategic competition,” the report added.
“Unfortunately, the geography of Afghanistan and the relations of terrorist groups in the region have caused the countries of the region and the world to express concern about possible challenges. The Islamic Emirate should take measures to form an inclusive government so that the spirit of the regional fight against terrorism is practically strengthened and launched,” said a military expert.
Meanwhile, the Islamic Emirate has called the report “baseless” and said that it has no relationship with al-Qaeda and that Daesh has been suppressed in Afghanistan.
IEA’s deputy spokesman Hamdullah Fetrat added that there is no terrorist group in Afghanistan and the government does not allow Afghan soil to be used against other countries.
“The Islamic Emirate has repeatedly said that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against the interests of countries. Once again, we assure the countries of the world and the region that Afghanistan’s soil will not be used against their interests, nor is Afghanistan a threat to them,” Fetrat stressed.
An Afghan prisoner in Delhi stabbed another prisoner to death on Friday after a dispute over food, the Times of India reported.
The deceased was identified as Deepak Soni, who was 29-year-old.
The killer has been identified as Abdul Basir Akhundzada who is 44 years old.
Abdul Basir Akhundzadeh had been arrested in connection with a case of attempted murder in Lajpet Nagar area of New Delhi in 2019.
Soni had been arrested in connection with the case of robbery and murder in 2018.
Zakia Wardak, Afghanistan’s consul general in India’s Mumbai city, resigned on Saturday, following reports of gold smuggling.
The Times of India has reported that Wardak was caught at Mumbai airport with 25 kilograms of gold smuggled from Dubai.
While announcing her resignation, Wardak said on X that over the past year, she had encountered numerous personal attacks and defamation not only directed towards her but also towards her close family and extended relatives.
“These attacks, which appear to be organized, have severely impacted my ability to effectively operate in my role and have demonstrated the challenges faced by women in Afghan society who strive to modernize and bring positive change amidst ongoing propaganda campaigns,” she said.
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