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16 US service members disciplined for Afghanistan's Kunduz hospital bombing

WASHINGTON, April 29 (KUNA) -- Sixteen US service members were disciplined for their involvement in a deadly bombing last October of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, a US Army general said on Friday.
The investigation of the deadly bombing found that an AC-130 gunship air crew -- in support of a US Special Forces element that was supporting an Afghan partner ground force -- misidentified and struck the facility, General Joseph Votel, commander of US Central Command, said during a Pentagon briefing.
"The investigation determined that all members of both the ground force and the AC-130 air crew were unaware that the aircraft was firing on a medical facility throughout the engagement," he said.
The investigation concluded that the tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures, he said.
"Importantly, the investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility," Votel said.
"The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center." The bombing killed 30 Doctors Without Borders staff members and patients.
Leading up to the incident, US Special Operations forces and their Afghan special operations partners had been engaged in intense fighting for several consecutive days and nights in Kunduz, and had repelled heavy and sustained enemy attacks, Votel said.
"The ground force was fatigued from days of fighting, still engaged with an aggressive enemy and running low on supplies," he said.
"In response to this urgent tactical situation, the AC-130 aircraft and crew launched from the space 69 minutes earlier than originally planned. As a result, the crew did not get all the preparatory information they would normally have received before a mission, to include identification of no-strike areas." Their ability to receive this information while in flight was lost when one of their satellite radios failed, he said. Shortly after arriving on the scene, the aircraft was fired on by a surface-to-air missile, he noted.
The air crew then received grid coordinates of a Taliban-controlled building, and found the Doctors Without Borders hospital "that generally matched the physical description of the building relayed over the radio by the ground force," Votel said.
General John Campbell, then the US Forces - Afghanistan commander, disciplined 12 of the 16 US personnel involved in the incident, Votel said. Campbell's actions included suspension and removal from command, letters of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining, he said.
Because the actions of the disciplined personnel were unintentional, their actions did not amount to war crimes, Votel said.
Four personnel were sent letters of reprimand and admonishment, and direction that the flight crew be referred to a US Air Force flight evaluation board to assess their suitability for future flight duties, he said.
A fifth service member was issued a written reprimand and directed to recertification in the service members' job specialty, he said. (end) rm.ibi