Doctors Without Borders: Kunduz strike an 'attack on the Geneva Conventions'

President Barack Obama has personally apologized. But he didn't go far enough, according to Doctors Without Borders, the aid group whose hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz was hit by a deadly U.S. airstrike.

The charity group -- which is also known as Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, and provides medical care in some of the world's most dangerous places -- is calling the strike an "attack on the Geneva Conventions" and urging an independent investigation by a never-before-used international commission.

The International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission has been in existence since 1991. It requires a request by one of the 76 nations that have signed on to it for it to begin its work. Its job is to investigate whether international humanitarian law has been violated.

"Governments up to now have been too polite or afraid to set a precedent," Dr. Joanne Liu, president of Doctors Without Borders, said Wednesday. "The tool exists, and it is time it is activated."

On Wednesday morning, Obama called and apologized directly to Liu. In a White House statement on that conversation, he highlighted a U.S. military investigation into the strike and pledged full support to a joint NATO and Afghan government probe.

But there was no mention of the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission.

"President Obama expressed regret over the tragic incident and offered his thoughts and prayers on behalf of the American people to the victims, their families, and loved ones," the White House statement said.

"Acknowledging the great respect he has for the important and lifesaving work that MSF does for vulnerable communities in Afghanistan and around the world, the President assured Liu of his expectation that the Department of Defense investigation currently underway would provide a transparent, thorough and objective accounting of the facts and circumstances of the incident."

The Doctors Without Borders chief acknowledged Obama's apology, but doesn't want him to stop there. She pushed for the United States to allow an international investigation.

"We reiterate our (request) that the U.S. government consent to an independent investigation led by the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission to establish what happened in Kunduz, how it happened, and why it happened," Liu said.

 

For charity, 'the biggest loss of life ... in an airstrike'

 

The attack in the embattled city Saturday killed 12 medical staff members and at least 10 patients, three of them children. It was "the biggest loss of life for our organization in an airstrike," Liu said.

Another 37 people were wounded, according to the global charity group, which works in conflict zones to help victims of war and other tragedies.

Gen. John Campbell, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, has said the hospital was hit accidentally during an American airstrike. The Pentagon is carrying out an investigation, as are NATO and Afghanistan.

"If errors were committed, we will acknowledge them," Campbell said. "We will hold those responsible accountable, and we will take steps to ensure mistakes are not repeated."

Doctors Without Borders said it wants a full and transparent investigation by an independent agency.

"Their description of the attack keeps changing -- from collateral damage, to a tragic incident, to now attempting to pass responsibility to the Afghanistan government," the group said.

News Courtesy: www.cnn.com