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Kunduz hospital: 16 US forces 'disciplined over Afghan bombing' | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Sixteen US military personnel have been punished with disciplinary measures over the bombing of an Afghan hospital that left 42 dead, officials say. | Sixteen US military personnel have been punished with disciplinary measures over the bombing of an Afghan hospital that left 42 dead, officials say. |
No criminal charges have been filed, according to an unnamed official quoted by the AP news agency. | No criminal charges have been filed, according to an unnamed official quoted by the AP news agency. |
The attack on the Medecins sans Frontieres hospital took place last October during a campaign to retake the city of Kunduz from Taliban forces. | |
A US military inquiry has already found that the attack was "human error". | |
The Pentagon is expected to release a full report on the investigation on Friday. | |
The service members, including some special operations personnel, received administrative punishments, reports said. | The service members, including some special operations personnel, received administrative punishments, reports said. |
They include letters of reprimand, which could have a career-ending effect on those involved. | |
An AC-130 gunship aircraft mistook the clinic for a nearby government building that had been seized by Taliban fighters. | An AC-130 gunship aircraft mistook the clinic for a nearby government building that had been seized by Taliban fighters. |
US officials initially claimed that American forces had struck the hospital because they had come under fire from the area. The military then admitted the strike was a mistake and launched an investigation. | |
Medecins sans Frontieres called the incident a war crime. In a report, the group said its staff contacted US-led forces several times during the attack, saying they were being bombed. | |
The charity also said the co-ordinates of the hospital were well-known and had been communicated again to all sides three days before the bombing. | |
It repeatedly asked for an independent international investigation into the bombardment. | |
Army Gen John Campbell, the top US commander in Afghanistan at the time, called the incident a "tragic but avoidable accident caused primarily by human error". | |
US President Barack Obama apologised for the air strike, which was one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in the 15-year Afghan conflict. |