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Agence France-Presse

A suspected US air strike on a hospital in  Kunduz on Saturday left nine Doctors Without Borders staff dead and dozens of others seriously wounded, the charity said, days after Taliban insurgents  overran the northern Afghan city.
Nato conceded that US forces may have been behind the attack.
The MSF facility is seen as a key medical lifeline in the region and has been running “beyond capacity” in recent days of fighting that saw the Taliban seize control of the provincial capital for several days.
The strike early Saturday left the building engulfed in flames, with photos posted by MSF on Twitter showing shocked and dazed staff in the aftermath of  the bombing.

“At 2.10am local time ... the MSF trauma centre in Kunduz was hit several times during sustained bombing and was very badly damaged,” it said in a statement.
Read more: Streets littered with dead Taliban as Afghan forces try to recapture Kunduz
"It is with deep sadness that we confirm so far the death of nine MSF staff  during the bombing ... 37 people were seriously wounded... There are many  patients and staff who remain unaccounted for."
Kunduz has seen heavy fighting since Taliban insurgents stormed the provincial capital on Monday – the first major city to be captured by insurgents since 2001.
At the time of the bombing, 105 patients and their caregivers and more than 80 international and local MSF staff were in the hospital, the charity said.

Nato said US forces might be behind the strike.
“US forces conducted an air strike in Kunduz city at 2.15 am ... against individuals threatening the force,” a Nato statement said.
“The strike may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility. This incident is under investigation.”
The MSF trauma centre in Kunduz is the only medical facility in the region that can deal with major injuries.
As fighting spreads in neighbouring Badakhshan, Takhar and Baghlan provinces, concerns are mounting that the seizure of Kunduz was merely the opening gambit in a new, bolder Taliban strategy to tighten the insurgency’s grip across northern Afghanistan.
Afghan forces, backed by Nato special forces and US air strikes, have been going from house to house in Kunduz in a bid to flush out insurgents in the city.
The Taliban’s offensive in Kunduz, their biggest tactical success since 2001, marks a major blow for Afghanistan’s Western-trained forces, who have largely been fighting on their own since last December.
Civilian and military casualties caused by Nato forces have been one of the most contentious issues in the 14-year campaign against Taliban insurgents, provoking harsh public and government criticism.
In a statement, the Taliban accused “barbaric American forces” of deliberately carrying out Saturday’s strike, which “killed and wounded tens of doctors, nurses and patients”.
US-led Nato forces ended their combat mission in Afghanistan last December, though a 13,000-strong residual force remains for training and counter-terrorism operations.
But there has been an escalation in air strikes by Nato forces in recent months despite the drawdown.


9 doctors killed in suspected US air strike on Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan, dozens seriously wounded

Members of Doctors Without Borders have treated more than 250 patients in the wake of the Taliban operation to capture Kunduz in Afghanistan. Photo: AFP

US army personnel ride in a truck inside an Afghan military base during fighting between Taliban militants and Afghan security forces in Kunduz. Photo: AFP

Afghanistan's security forces battle Taliban fighters on the highway between Balkh province to Kunduz city. Photo: AP

Streets littered with dead Taliban as Afghan forces recapture Kunduz

Afghan forces are deployed as they launch an operation against Taliban in Kunduz. Photo: Xinhua

An Afghan army soldier stands on a military vehicle in Kunduz. Photo: Xinhua

US launches air strikes as Afghan forces battle Taliban in bid to reclaim city

Afghan special forces prepare to launch an operation to retake the city from Taliban insurgents in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Photo: Xinhua

Afghan special forces prepare for battle after the Taliban took control of Kunduz. Photo: Xinhua

A helicopter carries Afghan special forces as they arrive for a battle with the Taliban in Kunduz city. Photo: Reuters

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World

The Doctors Without Borders facility in Afghanistan has been running “beyond capacity” in recent days


9 doctors killed in suspected US air strike on Kunduz hospital in Afghanistan, dozens seriously wounded

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The Doctors Without Borders facility in Afghanistan has been running “beyond capacity” in recent days

The Doctors Without Borders facility in Afghanistan has been running “beyond capacity” in recent days