6, October 2015 US
Airstrike – a War Crime?
The deadly American airstrike on the hospital in Kunduz,
Afghanistan, run by Doctors Without Borders (DWB), is an absolute travesty. The
initial Pentagon statement - that the airstrike may have caused “collateral damage” was grossly insensitive
and dehumanizing. The US military has a long history of obfuscation and damage
control to deflect accountability. Truth is usually the first casualty
following such incidents. General Campbell tripped over his initial story
justifying the bombing as a necessary
response to protect American lives. He later tried to pin the blame on Afghan
forces claiming that they had come under fire from Taliban forces near the
hospital. This claim was hotly disputed by Arjan Hehenkamp, director of DWB,
who stated there were no fighters near the hospital. DWB is one of the most
respected NGO’s in the world and in a war of words their account of what
happened will surely prevail. DWB provided the exact GPS coordinates of the
hospital to the US military to prevent such mishaps. It is a war crime to
target a hospital and this appalling incident screams for an independent
enquiry and accountability. President Obama also needs to address the larger
question of our continuing mission in the mother of all quagmires. What have
the American people gained by donating 53% of all their taxes to a perpetual
war machine?
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