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MSF says gave location of hospital bombed by airstrike to Afghan, US forces

Charity says nine Doctors Without Borders staff dead and dozens of others seriously wounded in airstrike

Reuters October 03, 2015

In this photograph released by Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) on October 3, 2015, fires burn in part of the MSF hospital in the Afghan city of Kunduz after it was hit by an air strike. PHOTO: AFP

Medical aid group Medecins Sans Frontieres on Saturday said it gave the coordinates of the Afghan hospital hit by an airstrike that killed at least nine people to Afghan and US forces several times, to avoid being caught in crossfire.

"Precise location of our Kunduz hospital communicated to all parties on multiple occasions over past months," as well as earlier this week, the group said in a message on social media website Twitter.

Read: US air strike 'may have' hit Kunduz hospital, three dead

A suspected US air strike on a hospital in Kunduz left nine Doctors Without Borders staff dead and dozens of others seriously wounded, the charity said, days after Taliban insurgents overran the northern Afghan city.

The MSF facility is seen as a key medical lifeline in the region and has been running "beyond capacity" during recent fighting that saw the Taliban seize control of the northern provincial capital for several days.

The strike early Saturday left the building engulfed in flames, with photos posted by MSF on Twitter showing shocked and dazed staff in the aftermath of the bombing.

Read: Nato forces bolster Afghan troops against Taliban in Kunduz

"At 2:10am local time... the MSF trauma centre in Kunduz was hit several times during sustained bombing and was very badly damaged," it said in a statement.

"It is with deep sadness that we confirm so far the death of nine MSF staff during the bombing... 37 people were seriously wounded... There are many patients and staff who remain unaccounted for."

Kunduz has seen heavy fighting since Taliban insurgents overran it on Monday. It was the first major city to be captured by militants since 2001.

MSF said some 105 patients and their caregivers, as well as more than 80 international and local MSF staff were in the hospital at the time of the bombing.

Read: Counter-offensive: Afghan forces battle to regain control of Kunduz

The charity had stated Friday it was treating 59 children at the facility.

NATO conceded that US forces may have been behind the strike.

COMMENTS (2)

IBN E ASHFAQUE | 9 years ago | Reply Once you gave the coordinates of the hospital the trigger happy terrorists who are inherently sadistic bombed you. Learning point next time give them the wrong coordinates.....

Muhammad Khan | 9 years ago | Reply This is a real terrorist act and the perpetrators of this act must be brought to justice. These barbers have the latest technology meant to hit a table inside a room with PGM (Precision guided munition); obviously they bombed this hospitals intentionally killing nine doctors so that there is no one left to cure the wounded ones. Lets see that the champions of democracy, sitting in American Congress, American Senate and European Parliaments, cry on this barbaric act bringing people responsible to justice. An inhuman terrorist act and war crime is this, which shall be condemned by people all over the world.

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