U.S. To Issue ‘Condolence Payments’ To Victims Of Recent Kunduz Airstrike That Killed 22 People And Injured 37 Others
On October 3, a hospital located in Kunduz was "accidentally struck" by a US airstrike that killed 12 staffers and 10 patients, including three children, and left 37 others wounded.
The US Government reportedly admits it was their airstrike that hit Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) after the Afghan forces sought the help of American military for air support, CNN reported on Oct. 6.
The international humanitarian-aid organization, which is also called Doctors Without Borders, released a statement calling the incident a war crime.
"Today the US government has admitted that it was their airstrike that hit our hospital in Kunduz and killed 22 patients and MSF staff. 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 reality is the US dropped those bombs. The US hit a huge hospital full of wounded patients and MSF staff. The US military remains responsible for the targets it hits, even though it is part of a coalition."
MSF added that the "need for a full transparent independent investigation is ever more critical" on the incident.
Meanwhile, The Pentagon on Saturday said they will issue payments for the victims of the incident in Kunduz, which will be handled through Afghanistan's Commanders' Emergency Response Program, as noted by Fox News Oct. 11.
"The Department of Defense believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident," Press Secretary Peter Cook says in a dispatch. "One step the department can take is to make condolence payments to civilian noncombatants injured and the families of civilian noncombatants killed as a result of US military operations."
"US Forces-Afghanistan has the authority to make condolence payments and payments towards repair of the hospital."
He continued, "USFOR-A will work with those affected to determine appropriate payments. If necessary and appropriate, the administration will seek additional authority from the Congress."
The Los Angeles Times forecasted Oct. 10 that the US government has been issuing compensations for damage of properties, fatalities and injuries throughout the presence of US military in the country under attack.
