KUNDUZ: The deadly air strike on a hospital in Kunduz was a mistake, said the US commander of international forces in Afghanistan.
‘The decision to carry out the aerial strike was made by US command,’ said US Army General John Campbell in testimony on Tuesday to the Senate Armed Services Committee.
‘The MSF hospital was mistakenly struck. We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility.’ he said.
The clashes and the dire warnings on Tuesday underscored the weak hold authorities have on Kunduz, a strategic city whose brief fall to the Taliban last week was an embarrassing blow to President Ashraf Ghani.
The Afghan government has also been criticised for ignoring warnings earlier of Taliban threats to the city.
Battles have raged around Kunduz for the last nine days as government forces, backed by US air strikes, have tried to drive out Taliban fighters.
The Taliban managed to overrun and hold Kunduz for three days last week, until government forces launched a counter-offensive on Thursday. Its brief capture was one of the Talibans’ biggest victories.
