The organization Doctors Without Borders says that at least 22 people were killed—10 of whom were patients—when one of their hospitals in Afghanistan was hit by a U.S. airstrike. The mayor of the city where the hospital is located told The Washington Post that the structure was being used as a base for Taliban fighters who’d been firing weapons from the grounds. The NGO, however, disputes those claims. In a statement, they said that the airstrike constitutes a war crime: “Under the clear presumption that a war crime has been committed, [Doctors Without Borders] demands that a full and transparent investigation into the event be conducted by an independent international body.”
The chief of human rights at the U.N. said, “If established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime.” The Pentagon said that the hospital was targeted inadvertently and they will investigate the incident. An official told The New York Times, American and Afghan troops had come under fire in the area and requested air support.
