The U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan says it will lead an investigation into an airstrike in Kunduz this weekend that hit a Médecins Sans Frontières hospital, killing 22 people — an attack that the humanitarian organization, also known as Doctors Without Borders, has called "a war crime."
The NATO coalition says it "has directed a preliminary multi-national investigation known as a Casualty Assessment Team." It says that an initial investigation would be complete in "a matter of days."
"Additionally, the U.S. military has opened a formal investigation, headed by a General Officer, to conduct a thorough and comprehensive inquiry," it said in a statement.
But MSF's General Director Christopher Stokes, saying in a statement that the group operates "[under] the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed," insisted that anything less than a fully independent probe of the incident would be unacceptable.
"Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient," Stokes said.
"We reiterate that the main hospital building, where medical personnel were caring for patients, was repeatedly and very precisely hit during each aerial raid, while the rest of the compound was left mostly untouched. We condemn this attack, which constitutes a grave violation of International Humanitarian Law," Stokes said.
The circumstances surrounding the attack remain murky, with NATO acknowledging only that the raid occurred near the charity's hospital. Kunduz, which briefly fell to the Taliban last week before a government counteroffensive, is reportedly experiencing a growing humanitarian crisis.
"All critical patients have been referred to other health facilities and no MSF staff are working in our hospital," Kate Stegeman, the communications manager for MSF, was quoted by The Associated Press as saying.
"Some of our medical staff have gone to work in two hospitals where some of the wounded have been taken," she said.
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