• This is a political forum that is non-biased/non-partisan and treats every person's position on topics equally. This debate forum is not aligned to any political party. In today's politics, many ideas are split between and even within all the political parties. Often we find ourselves agreeing on one platform but some topics break our mold. We are here to discuss them in a civil political debate. If this is your first visit to our political forums, be sure to check out the RULES. Registering for debate politics is necessary before posting. Register today to participate - it's free!

Doctors Without Borders Leaves Afghan City After Airstrike

Anomalism

Anomalism

Banned
DP Veteran
Joined
Dec 2, 2013
Messages
3,237
Reaction score
2,159
Location
Florida
Gender
Male
Political Leaning
Libertarian - Left
Doctors Without Borders Leaves Afghan City After Airstrike - ABC News

Doctors Without Borders issued a statement Sunday expressing its "clear assumption that a war crime has been committed," after earlier saying that "all indications" were that the international coalition was responsible for the early Saturday morning bombing. While NATO maintains a significant military role in Afghanistan, airstrikes are conducted by U.S. forces. Christopher Stokes, the charity's general director, said the organization is demanding an independent investigation and may not be satisfied with an inquiry conducted by the U.S. and Afghan governments. Using the organization's French acronym, Stokes said, "MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body. Relying only on an internal investigation by a party to the conflict would be wholly insufficient."

The charity said that the main hospital building in the sprawling compound, "where medical personnel were caring for patients, was repeatedly and very precisely hit during each aerial raid, while the rest of the compound was left mostly untouched." It earlier said that bombing had lasted an hour, and repeated calls to NATO and the U.S. military to call off the strikes had failed. On Sunday, the organization announced that three injured hospital patients had died, bringing the total death toll to 22, including 12 hospital staffers. It earlier said that three of the dead were children in the intensive care unit. The charity also announced it was withdrawing from Kunduz.
Click to expand...
 
I'll wait for the investigation to come out before I have any more to say on the actual attack but the end result is just a crying shame. There's no winners here.

The medical staff that were not killed will likely go back to their own Countries and try and settle back into some kind of normality which will be an incredibly difficult thing to do and those civilians who require medical assistance that will no longer be able to utilise the facility damaged and lightly staffed will be left unattended until they find alternative options.
 
joG said:
It appears the air force made a mistake and will certainly want to know how it happened. We shall see.
Click to expand...

Or else they did it on purpose and there is a reason.

It may be a snafu and maybe not.

Too early to say.
 
Serenity said:
I'll wait for the investigation to come out before I have any more to say on the actual attack but the end result is just a crying shame. There's no winners here.

The medical staff that were not killed will likely go back to their own Countries and try and settle back into some kind of normality which will be an incredibly difficult thing to do and those civilians who require medical assistance that will no longer be able to utilise the facility damaged and lightly staffed will be left unattended until they find alternative options.
Click to expand...

We all need to wait. This should be interesting though.
 
it's a terrible tragedy, that could not have come at a worse time for Afghanistan Nationals.

The US is in active war in Kunduz .
I saw a Dr there saying "this is a tragedy isn't enough; we need answers, and we need to know why this happened"
 
“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” Christopher Stokes, the group’s general director, said Sunday. “There can be no justification for this abhorrent attack on our hospital"
 
RDS said:
“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” Christopher Stokes, the group’s general director, said Sunday. “There can be no justification for this abhorrent attack on our hospital"
Click to expand...

A clear reason as to why they should be ignored.
 
Natan said:
Excon said:
RDS said:
“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” Christopher Stokes, the group’s general director, said Sunday. “There can be no justification for this abhorrent attack on our hospital"
Click to expand...
A clear reason as to why they should be ignored.
Click to expand...
Why if I may ask?
Click to expand...
Really? You have to ask why?
Because it is an assumption made by those who are in no position to judge.
I am surprise anyone needs to be informed of that.


Natan said:
The US doesn't commit war crimes?
Click to expand...
You haven't shown any war crimes committed by the US.
 
According to the CBS Evening News, the US Army said the Afghans called-in the USAF air strike which hit the hospital and burned it to the ground.

Meanwhile they are continuing to investigate.

Sounds like two kids on the playground pointing to each other and saying "he did it ... no he did it !!"
 
Natan said:
Why if I may ask? The US doesn't commit war crimes?
Click to expand...

Not sure how you got off topic.

The last war crime I know of by US troops is when a squad of infantry killed an entire family in A-stan because they had reason to believe one of them blew up an IED that killed one of their own infantrymen.

So it was a war crime, but according to Nietzsche and his will to power, not necessarily a true crime.

My own personal favorite was My Lai however. That was a war crime because a commissioned lieutenant ordered enlisted infantrymen to slaughter an entire village. The lieutenant claimed the captain gave him orders to do it. But even if the captain had done so, which is doubtful, such an order from a captain to a lieutenant would be illegal -- this is complicated officer stuff.

Enlisted troops are supposed to do what officers order them to do. But officers are supposed to THINK first before they give orders like that.
 
Last edited:
RDS said:
“Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, MSF demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body,” Christopher Stokes, the group’s general director, said Sunday. “There can be no justification for this abhorrent attack on our hospital"
Click to expand...

The hospital claims it was a war crime, which is way premature. The hospital is not judge, jury or executioner. They are not even the prosecutor. At best they are a plaintiff in a war zone -- not a good place to be.

The investigation continues.

First there will be a military investigation.

Then next possibly a civilian follow on investigation.

It's a war zone.

Civilians cannot take themselves too seriously in any war zone.

And there is no "clear presumption" of anything.

It's a war zone, so even worst case friendly fire is NOT a war crime.

Somebody sure wanted that hospital burned to the ground.

Question is, Who ??
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom