Doctors Without Borders called U.S. in distress during hospital bombing, was told 'I'm sorry to hear that'

Doctors Without Borders members protest the bombing of a hospital in Kunduz at a protest in Geneva.
(Image credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

At least 30 staff members and patients were killed in a U.S.-led airstrike on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, in October — even though the humanitarian organization made repeated distress calls to U.S. and Afghan officials during the attack. Now, new information detailed in an internal report by Doctors Without Borders claims that even when staff tried to flee from the hospital, they were hit with gunfire, likely from a plane.

The report further claims that Doctors Without Borders had confirmed the hospital's coordinates with U.S. and Afghan officials before the attack, and that the night of the strike was quiet and without fighting. That statement is contrary to an assertion by the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John F. Campbell, who said in the days following the attack that the strikes were in response to Afghan forces who claimed to be under fire. However, even when fully informed of the hospital's location, the attack was not called off:

Doctors Without Borders staff made several distress calls to both U.S. and Afghan officials while the facility was being bombed. The initial call was placed at 2:19 a.m. By 2:52 a.m. a reply from Resolute Support was received, saying, "I'm sorry to hear that, I still do not know what happened." The hospital staff sent another message, insisting the strikes stop and were told, "I'll do my best, praying for you all."Badly injured staff members fled the building, including one nurse who was "covered head to toe in debris and blood with his left arm hanging from a small piece of tissue…" and another who was bleeding out of his left eye. That's when staff say that gunfire hit them, most likely coming from a plane. [BuzzFeed]

Doctors Without Borders has insisted that the attack was a violation of the Geneva Convention and a war crime. Read the full report over at BuzzFeed.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.