Tessa Quinn
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan, killing 42 people and injuring over 30. The hospital was operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. The attack lasted for around an hour, with the main hospital building being repeatedly and precisely hit while surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched. In the aftermath, MSF demanded an independent investigation, stating that the attack was a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. US President Barack Obama issued an apology for the bombing, which the US military claimed was an accident.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date of the incident | 3 October 2015 |
| Location | Kunduz Trauma Centre, Afghanistan |
| Organization | Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) |
| Death toll | 42 |
| Number of injured | 30+ |
| Reason for airstrike | To defend U.S. forces on the ground and target Taliban militants |
| Investigation | Conducted by NATO, a joint US-Afghan group, and the US Department of Defense |
| Final report | Released by the Pentagon on 29 April 2016, concluding it was an accident |
| Disciplinary action | 16 members of the US military were disciplined, with 12 receiving punishments such as suspension and removal from command |
| Condolence payments | $6,000 to the families of those killed |
| Reconstruction funds | $5.7 million set aside for the hospital's reconstruction |
| MSF response | Called for an independent inquiry, accusing the US of committing a war crime |
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What You'll Learn
US airstrike on a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the city of Kunduz, Afghanistan. The attack killed 42 people and injured over 30. MSF had been providing free surgical care to victims of trauma in the region since 2011. The hospital was the only active medical facility in the area, serving as the only trauma centre in northeastern Afghanistan.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex, and had contacted US military officials to confirm the precise location of the hospital as recently as 29 September. Two days prior to the attack, an adviser to the Joint Chiefs of Staff emailed MSF to ask if the facility had Taliban militants inside. Despite this, the hospital was struck by a series of aerial bombing raids, hitting the building several times over a period of 30 minutes, even after MSF staff had contacted the US military.
The United States military initially said the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground. Later, the US commander in Afghanistan, General John F. Campbell, said the airstrike was requested by Afghan forces who had come under Taliban fire. Finally, Campbell stated that the airstrike was a US decision, made in the US chain of command and not at the request of Afghan forces. He described the incident as "the direct result of avoidable human error, compounded by process and equipment failures". The Pentagon's final report reaffirmed this, stating that the incident was an accident and did not amount to a war crime.
MSF condemned the incident, calling it a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime. They demanded an independent investigation, stating that the internal investigation by the US military was insufficient. MSF's call for an independent investigation was supported by Human Rights Watch and The Lancet.
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42 people killed, 30+ injured
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre in Afghanistan, killing 42 people and injuring more than 30. The centre was operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders. The attack was a series of aerial bombing raids that continued for around one hour, with the main hospital building being hit several times and partially destroyed.
Médecins Sans Frontières reported that six intensive care patients were burned to death in their beds, and one patient died after having to be left on the operating table. They also reported that 12 staff members were killed, all of them Afghan nationals, and that some medical staff were decapitated or lost limbs to shrapnel. Others were shot from the air as they attempted to escape the burning building.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex, and had been in contact with US military officials to confirm the precise location of the hospital just two days before the attack. Despite this, the US military claimed the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground. General John F. Campbell, the US commander in Afghanistan, initially stated that the airstrike was requested by Afghan forces who had come under Taliban fire. However, he later said that the airstrike was a US decision, made within the US chain of command.
Following the attack, President Barack Obama issued an apology and announced that the US would be making condolence payments of $6,000 to the families of those killed. Three investigations of the incident were conducted, and the US military eventually claimed responsibility, describing the incident as "the direct result of avoidable human error, compounded by process and equipment failures". MSF has called for an international and independent probe, stating that the incident was a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and a war crime.
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US military claimed responsibility, calling it an accident
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force AC-130U gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Afghanistan. The attack killed 42 people and injured over 30. MSF reported that the building was "partially destroyed" and "repeatedly and precisely hit" during the 30-minute attack.
MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex and had provided the GPS coordinates of the trauma hospital to the US Department of Defense, the Afghan Ministry of Interior and Defense, and the US Army in Kabul just two days prior to the attack. Despite this, the US military claimed that they had received reports that the hospital building was holding active Taliban militia. However, MSF staff reported no armed combatants or fighting in the compound prior to the airstrike.
The United States military initially said the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground. Later, the US commander in Afghanistan, General John F. Campbell, said that the airstrike was requested by Afghan forces who had come under Taliban fire and was a US decision made within the US chain of command. However, he later retracted this statement and claimed that the incident was "the direct result of avoidable human error, compounded by process and equipment failures". The internal investigation showed that the AC-130 gunship crew misidentified the clinic as a nearby Taliban-controlled government building.
The US military eventually claimed responsibility for the airstrikes, calling them an accident. Sixteen members of the US military were disciplined as a result of the investigation, although none were criminally charged. President Barack Obama issued an apology and announced that the United States would be making condolence payments of $6,000 to the families of those killed in the airstrike.
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MSF called for an independent investigation, accusing the US of committing a war crime
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. 42 people were killed and over 30 were injured. MSF reported that the hospital was hit several times in a series of aerial bombing raids that lasted for around one hour. The main hospital building was targeted with precision, while the surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched.
MSF had provided all warring parties with the GPS coordinates of the hospital in advance and had contacted US military officials to confirm the precise location of the hospital. Despite this, the US military claimed they had received reports that the hospital building was holding active Taliban militia. However, MSF staff reported no armed combatants or fighting in the compound prior to the airstrike.
Following the attack, MSF called for an independent investigation, accusing the US of committing a war crime. They stated that the incident was a deliberate breach of international humanitarian law and that an internal US investigation was insufficient. MSF presented a petition with over half a million signatures to the White House, demanding that President Obama consent to an independent investigation. They suggested that the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission, established under the Geneva Conventions to investigate violations of humanitarian law, should be involved.
The US military initially said the airstrike was carried out to defend US forces on the ground. However, General John F. Campbell, the American commander in Afghanistan, later stated that the airstrike was a US decision made within the US chain of command. He described the incident as "the direct result of avoidable human error, compounded by process and equipment failures". The Pentagon's final report, released in April 2016, reaffirmed the incident as an accident and said it did not amount to a war crime. Sixteen members of the US military were disciplined as a result, but none were criminally charged.
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16 US military personnel disciplined, none criminally charged
On 3 October 2015, a United States Air Force gunship attacked the Kunduz Trauma Centre, a hospital operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, in Afghanistan. 42 people were killed and over 30 were injured in the attack. MSF had informed all warring parties of the location of its hospital complex.
The attack was called a "deliberate breach of international humanitarian law" and a "war crime" by MSF. They demanded an international investigation, but none has been undertaken. President Barack Obama issued an apology on 7 October 2015 and announced that condolence payments of $6,000 would be made to the families of those killed in the airstrike.
Sixteen U.S. military officials were disciplined for their roles in the bombing, according to a senior defense official. The punishments were non-judicial, and some were career-ending. However, no criminal charges were filed. Twelve personnel involved in the strike were punished with "suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counselling and extensive retraining".
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Frequently asked questions
On October 3, 2015, the US military bombed a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, killing 42 people and injuring over 30. The hospital was operated by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), who had repeatedly advised the US military of the hospital's exact GPS coordinates, most recently on September 29, just five days before the strike. The US military claimed the bombing was accidental and that they had received reports that the hospital was holding active Taliban militia.
It is unclear whether Obama directly ordered the bombing. However, as the US President at the time, he was ultimately responsible for the actions of the US military.
On October 7, 2015, Obama issued an apology and announced that the United States would be making condolence payments of $6,000 to the families of those killed in the airstrike.
Yes, the incident was investigated by NATO, a joint United States-Afghan group, and the United States Department of Defense. MSF called for an independent investigation, stating that the armed forces who carried out the airstrike could not conduct an impartial investigation of their own actions. A final report by the Pentagon reaffirmed the incident as an accident and said it did not amount to a war crime.
