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| Afghanistan |
| Kunduz Hospital Blasted by Airstrike |
| 2015-10-03 |
| How do we manage to do things like this? At least 19 people were killed when a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Kunduz was badly damaged early Saturday after being hit by what appears to have been an American airstrike, sparking international outrage. (Justifiable, it would appear.) The United States military, in a statement, confirmed an airstrike at 2:15 a.m., saying that it had been targeting individuals "who were threatening the force" and that "there may have been collateral damage to a nearby medical facility. The strike will bring renewed pressure on the United States, which has been playing an increasingly active role in Afghanistan amid a Taliban resurgence, particularly in the northern province of Kunduz, but has long been criticized for causing civilian casualties from the air. Without the air support the Afghan forces are screwed. Perhaps the FACs (whoever they are--and I'm guessing Afghans) should be more careful calling in the coordinates. |
| Posted by:Glenmore |
| #5 I'm guessing the airstrike was next door. Should have used a Small Diameter Smart Bomb? |
| Posted by: Sven the pelter 2015-10-03 20:46 |
| #4 I'm guessing the airstrike was next door and the blast set fire to one of the hospital buildings. There is no shortage of easily combustible items in a hospital. From the photos I saw, the fire gutted building had a lot shrapnel damage to the exterior wall, but no blasted outward roof or walls. |
| Posted by: Betty Hitler2611 2015-10-03 20:33 |
| #3 How do you think that the doc's were able to work while surrounded by terrorist who reject western medicine? One hypothesis: They agreed to be human shields. If true then that was a poor choice. I will be interested in learning the details about what actually happened. |
| Posted by: Sven the pelter 2015-10-03 20:15 |
| #2 To ensure I am clear, I am speaking of the Afghanis. NOT the US forces. Condolences to MSF. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2015-10-03 19:45 |
| #1 Who says they weren't careful? I trust none of them, and wouldn't rule out premeditated mischief. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2015-10-03 19:42 |