Logan Reid
On 3 October 2015, a US airstrike attacked and killed patients and staff at the Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan. The centre was operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. The attack killed 42 people and injured 30 more. While the US military initially claimed the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground, MSF reported that the hospital was repeatedly and precisely hit and that the attack continued even after they contacted US military authorities. US President Barack Obama apologised for the incident, calling it a mistake and stating that the intended target had been Taliban fighters. This incident sparked debates about healthcare and led to the creation of anti-Obama propaganda, including posters depicting Obama as the Joker from The Dark Knight.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the incident | 3 October 2015 |
| Location | Kunduz, Afghanistan |
| Hospital | Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) |
| Number of deaths | 42 |
| Number of injuries | 30+ |
| Attack | Aerial bombing raids |
| Perpetrator | United States Air Force AC-130 gunship |
| Reason | To target Taliban fighters |
| President at the time | Barack Obama |
| President's response | Apologised, called it a mistake |
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What You'll Learn
Barack Obama apologised for the Kunduz hospital airstrike
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked and bombed the Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan, operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. The attack killed 42 people and injured over 30. The hospital building was partially destroyed, and patients burned in their beds while medical staff were decapitated or lost limbs.
Médecins Sans Frontières reported that between 02:08 and 03:15 local time, the hospital was struck by "a series of aerial bombing raids" and that the attack had continued for 30 minutes after MSF staff contacted US military authorities to stop it. The organisation further stated that all warring parties had been notified about the hospital and its operations well in advance, and that there were no Taliban fighters in the compound.
Initially, the United States military said the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground and that it had been requested by Afghan forces. However, US and NATO Commander John F. Campbell later confirmed that the decision to use aerial fire was "made within the US chain of command". He specified that the attack was a mistake and that they would never intentionally target a protected medical facility.
US President Barack Obama apologised for the incident to MSF president Joanne Liu, saying it was a mistake and was intended to target Taliban fighters. White House spokesman Josh Earnest defended US forces, stating that the US Department of Defense "goes to greater lengths and places a higher premium on avoiding civilian casualties" than any other military in the world. He also hinted that the US may compensate victims and their families.
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The attack was carried out by a US AC-130 gunship
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force AC-130 gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, in the city of Kunduz, Afghanistan. The attack lasted for around one hour and resulted in the deaths of 42 people, including 24 patients, 14 staff, and 4 caretakers, with 37 people injured. The hospital building was partially destroyed and came under precise and repeated airstrikes, while the surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex in advance and had contacted US military officials to reconfirm the precise location of the hospital as recently as 29 September. Despite this, the hospital was struck by a series of aerial bombing raids, with the main building being hit several times. MSF reported that the attack continued for 30 minutes after they contacted the US military to stop the bombing.
U.S. and NATO Commander John F. Campbell later confirmed that the attack was carried out by a US AC-130 gunship and that it was a decision made within the US chain of command, contrary to earlier reports that it had been requested by local Afghan forces. He specified that the decision to use aerial fire was made within the US chain of command and called the attack a mistake, stating that they would never intentionally target a protected medical facility.
President Barack Obama apologized for the incident, saying it was a mistake and that the intended target had been Taliban fighters. The White House defended US forces, stating that the US Department of Defense goes to great lengths to avoid civilian casualties and hinted that the US may compensate the victims and their families. However, MSF condemned the incident as a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime, stating that there were no Taliban fighters in the compound.
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The attack was a US decision, not requested by Afghan forces
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, in Afghanistan. The attack killed 42 people and injured over 30. MSF reported that the hospital was hit several times and repeatedly and precisely during the attack, which lasted for around one hour. The main hospital building was partially destroyed, while the surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex in advance and had reconfirmed the precise location with U.S. military officials on 29 September. Two days before the attack, an adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff emailed MSF to ask if there were Taliban militants "holed up" in the facility. MSF stated that there were no Taliban fighters in the compound and that all warring parties had been notified about the hospital and its operations.
Initially, the United States military said that the airstrike was carried out to defend U.S. forces on the ground and that it was requested by Afghan forces who had come under Taliban fire. However, U.S. and NATO Commander John F. Campbell later confirmed that the attack was made by a U.S. gunship and that it was a decision made within the U.S. chain of command, not at the request of Afghan forces. Campbell called the attack a mistake, and White House spokesman Josh Earnest defended U.S. forces, saying that the U.S. Department of Defense "goes to greater lengths and places a higher premium on avoiding civilian casualties" than any other military. President Barack Obama apologized for the incident, saying it was a mistake and was intended to target Taliban fighters.
The Kunduz hospital attack sparked widespread condemnation and accusations of war crimes. MSF condemned the incident as a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. Christopher Stokes, General Director of MSF Belgium, stated that the justifications given by Afghanistan government authorities for the attack implied that Afghan and U.S. forces decided to destroy a fully functioning hospital because they claimed that members of the Taliban were present, which he called an "admission of a war crime". MSF presented a petition with over half a million signatures to the White House, demanding an independent investigation into the attack.
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42 people were killed, including 24 patients
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, in Afghanistan. The attack killed 42 people and injured over 30. Of the 42 killed, 24 were patients. The hospital was struck by "a series of aerial bombing raids" between 02:08 and 03:15 local time, according to MSF. The building was “partially destroyed" and the attack continued for 30 minutes after MSF staff contacted US military authorities to stop it.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the hospital's location in advance and had contacted US military officials to reconfirm the precise location as recently as 29 September. The organisation said there were no Taliban fighters in the compound, contrary to statements from some Afghan government authorities.
U.S. and NATO Commander John F. Campbell confirmed that the attack was “a mistake” and that the decision to use aerial fire was “made within the US chain of command”. White House spokesman Josh Earnest defended US forces, saying the U.S. Department of Defense “goes to greater lengths and places a higher premium on avoiding civilian casualties” than any other military in the world. President Barack Obama apologised for the incident, saying it was intended to target Taliban fighters.
The attack on the hospital has been condemned as a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. MSF presented a petition with over half a million signatures to the White House, demanding an independent investigation. The final death toll was reported as 42, including 14 staff, 24 patients, and four of their carers.
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The hospital was the only one of its kind in northeastern Afghanistan
In 2011, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) opened a trauma hospital in the northeastern Afghan city of Kunduz. The hospital was the only one of its kind in northeastern Afghanistan, providing free, high-quality surgical care to victims of trauma. Before the hospital opened, those with severe injuries had to travel long distances to receive treatment in the capital, Kabul, or in Pakistan.
The hospital soon became a lifeline for people in Kunduz and the surrounding provinces. By the time of the airstrikes in October 2015, the hospital had 92 beds, an emergency room, two operating theatres, an intensive care unit, an outpatient department, and mental health and physiotherapy wards. The facility also had X-ray and laboratory capabilities, and MSF had invested heavily in local recruitment and training of medical staff.
In the five days leading up to the attack, the MSF hospital in Kunduz treated 376 patients in the emergency room. On the night of the attack, there were 105 patients in the hospital, and 140 MSF staff members were present, with 80 on duty.
At 2:08 am on 3 October 2015, a United States AC-130 gunship attacked the hospital, firing 211 shells at the main building. The attack lasted for around one hour, during which the hospital was hit several times and partially destroyed. At least 42 people were killed, including 24 patients, 14 staff, and four caregivers. Thirty to thirty-seven people were injured.
MSF condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. They stated that all warring parties had been notified of the hospital's location in advance, and that there were no Taliban fighters in the compound. U.S. President Barack Obama apologized for the incident, saying it was a mistake and that the intended target had been Taliban fighters.
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Frequently asked questions
No, but he did authorise an airstrike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in 2015. Obama apologised for the incident, saying it was a mistake and intended to target Taliban fighters.
Yes. 42 people were killed, including 24 patients, 14 staff, and 4 caretakers. 37 people were injured.
The US claimed that the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground and that they had been requested by Afghan forces under Taliban fire.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. They noted that they had informed all warring parties of the location of the hospital in advance.
President Obama apologised to the head of MSF for the airstrike and acknowledged that it was a mistake. The White House defended US forces, stating that the US Department of Defense "goes to greater lengths and places a higher premium on avoiding civilian casualties" than any other military.
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