Source:
https://scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1883492/america-must-take-full-responsibility-mistaken-bombing Comment
America must take full responsibility for mistaken bombing of hospital in Afghanistan
Kevin Rafferty says Obama needs to apologise and make reparations for the US Armed Forces’ ‘tragic and unnecessary accident’ in bombing an MSF hospital in Afghanistan, and put those responsible on trial
U.S. Army General John Campbell, the commander of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, speaks during a news conference at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul, Afghanistan, November 25, 2015. The U.S. investigation into a deadly Oct. 3 strike on a hospital run by Medecins Sans Frontieres in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz concluded it was a tragic accident caused primarily by human error, Campbell said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Massoud Hossaini/Pool
On October 3, a US AC-130 gunship in Afghanistan destroyed a well identified and clearly marked hospital in Kunduz, killing 30 doctors, nurses and patients, with several children among the dead.
America’s top general in Afghanistan, John Campbell, this week admitted a catalogue of mistakes, including failure to follow proper procedures, equipment malfunctions and turning a deaf ear to 17 minutes of pleading from terrified staff at the Medicins Sans Frontieres hospital under aerial attack.
Reporting on the US military investigation into the attack, Campbell concluded that it was a tragic and unnecessary accident.
Barack Obama, in his roles as president and commander in chief of the US Armed Forces, must make a public apology for this war crime against civilians.
He must also offer handsome compensation to the families of the victims; pay for replacing and re-equipping the hospital; put those responsible on trial publicly; and explain what steps are being taken to avoid a repeat of the atrocity. No amount of apologising or money can bring back the dead. But Obama owes this to the victims, and also to his own and America’s reputation as a civilised power.
In this photograph from November 10, a burnt-out vehicle is seen inside the premises of the damaged Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital in Kunduz. Photo: AFP
The hospital, including a trauma centre, was not a tent or field hospital but a well-equipped construction largely reduced to rubble by bombing that went on for 29 minutes. It was an international civilian facility and the attack came under Nato command, so an independent international investigation with powers to bring the perpetrators to justice would have been in order.
The US military report has not been made public and does not name names of those responsible. The military said that those closely involved have been suspended pending disciplinary action.
This is not good enough. By Campbell’s own account, his troops fell short of professional military conduct, let alone the duty of care and attention to civilians.
It is not an excuse to say that this is war and, in war, tragic incidents happen. There are international rules concerning the treatment of civilians and the American military broke them. Without an apology and public commitment to change, Obama will be signalling that in war, the law of the jungle prevails – which would be a disaster for civilisation, including the US.
Kevin Rafferty is a political commentator