Blunders in deadly attack on hospital

A US attack on a hospital in Afghanistan which killed 42 people occurred because of human errors, process errors and equipment failures, a top general said.

General Joseph Votel said none of the crew knew they were striking a trauma centre, adding that “this was an extreme situation” complicated by combat fatigue among US special operations forces.

He headed US Special Operations Command at the time of the attack last autumn and took over US Central Command in March, which oversees military operations in Afghanistan.

Mr Votel said investigators concluded that certain personnel failed to comply with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict.

However, they also determined that these failures did not amount to a war crime, he said.

“The label ‘war crimes’ is typically reserved for intentional acts – intentional targeting (of) civilians or intentionally targeting protected objects or locations,” Mr Votel said.

“Again, the investigation found that the incident resulted from a combination of unintentional human errors, process errors and equipment failures, and that none of the personnel knew they were striking a hospital.”

He expressed “deepest condolences” to those injured and to the families of those killed.

No criminal charges have been levelled against US military personnel for mistakes that resulted in the attack on the civilian hospital in Kunduz, operated by the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, on October 3 2015.

The group called the attack a war crime and demanded an independent investigation.