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http://www.msf.org.uk/article/afghanistan-msf-staff-killed-and-hospital-partially-destroyed-in-kunduz

MSF had informed all fighting parties of hospital GPS coordinates

MSF condemns in the strongest possible terms the horrific bombing of its hospital in Kunduz full of staff and patients.

MSF wishes to clarify that all parties to the conflict, including in Kabul and Washington, were clearly informed of the precise location (GPS Coordinates) of the MSF facilities - hospital, guesthouse, office and an outreach stabilization unit in Chardara (to the north-west of Kunduz).

As MSF does in all conflict contexts, these precise locations were communicated to all parties on multiple occasions over the past months, including most recently on 29 September.

The bombing continued for more than 30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed. MSF urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened.

Update on hospital bombing casualties

It is with deep sadness that we confirm so far the death of nine MSF staff during the bombing last night of MSF’s hospital in Kunduz.

Latest update is that 37 people were seriously wounded during the bombing, of whom 19 are MSF staff.

Some of the most critically injured are being transferred for stabilisation to a hospital in Puli Khumri, two hours’ drive away. There are many patients and staff who remain unaccounted for. The numbers keep growing as we develop a clearer picture of the aftermath of this horrific bombing.

It's not clear who was responsible for the attack, but it's most likely to be the USA since the have the most aerial assets in the area (or perhaps the Afghan government who I think have a few planes/helicopters, but I think them being used for a sustained attack is unlikely)

so the question is when whoevers military screws up in such a major way what should be done with the personnel involved ?,

If you are working for a (free world) military that has been shown to repeatedly get it wrong and hit civillians do you need to demand more information from your senior officers before accepting their orders?

or should everybody shrug and say that's what MSF should expect for working in a war zone, perhaps they should pull out and leave it to native Afghan doctors and only provide equipment/supplies & funds not personel?

should the military who were responsible for the attack now have to provide replacement doctors even if they would be at high risk of kidnapping or attack?

Edit:

looks like it's confirmed it was a US air strike, and an 'accident' (Thread title updated)

The US has admitted that it may have killed workers from aid organisation Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders) in an air raid in Afghanistan.

The medical charity said that three of its workers died after a hospital in the city of Kunduz, in the north of the war-torn country was hit.

NATO spokesman, Colonel Brian Tribus, said that US forces began the strike at 2.15am and confirmed that “collateral damage” may have occurred.

Things are getting even murkier with an Afghan government spokesman claiming that the Taliban were using the hospital as a fire base (despite MSF saying the opposite),

and even less believably claiming that all (15 I don't remember the number he said, but it was something like that) Taliban fighters in the hospital were killed by the airstrike

(and how would they know being that the area is under Taliban control, and dead bodies inside a burning building would be invisible to even the best drones)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-34435238

Seeing the continual reporting on this I'm beginning to suspect this uncomfortable scenario

hypothetically

The Afghan government (or their local military/political commanders without central knowledge/authority) are upset that the MSF hospital is treating Taliban wounded as well as civilians (as well as any others needing treatment)

(maybe there are requests for them to stop, or to hand over the wounded Taliban, maybe there are not)

Afghan government (or their local military/political commanders without central knowledge or authority) call in made up story about being attacked from said hospital to the US air support

US air support respond as we've seen without making any/enough effort to verify the attack story


now if this hypothetical scenario does turn out to basically be what happened I hope the US tightens up it's procedures to require direct observation of enemy action by US personel before launching any future attacks

more info from a US general

http://www.defense.gov/News/News-Transcripts/Transcript-View/Article/621848/department-of-defense-press-briefing-by-gen-campbell-in-the-pentagon-briefing-r

in general a measured and thoughtful statement, I'll pick out a few bits

We have now learned that on October 3rd, Afghan forces -- that they were taking -- we have now learned that on October 3rd, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from U.S. forces. An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck.

This is different from initial reports which indicated that U.S. forces were threatened and that the airstrike was called on their behalf.

so US forces were not directly threatened, and, apparently it was the Afghans that called in the strike

As you know, the United States military takes extraordinary steps to avoid harm to civilians. However, the Taliban have purposefully chosen to fight from within a heavily urbanized area, purposely placing civilians in harm's way

this is basically true but I do wish the US (UK & other militaries/governments) would stop condemning their opponents for fighting in civilian areas unless they are willing order their own military's not to fight in or occupy civilian areas. If for (ridiculous) example the US was invaded by the menace of North Korea I can see no circumstance where they would hand over cities without a fight because they were civilian areas they could not possibly fight in

and finally

In addition, I would be remiss if I did not offer my condolences to the crew and passengers of the C-130 aircraft that crashed on Friday, October 2nd. The six airmen who were lost in the accident will arrive at Dover today. These and all those who have fallen before them are the true heroes of our efforts in Afghanistan over the past 14 years.

I can understand why he said this (it was recent, a tragedy and in Afghanistan), but I feel it was not appropriate for the press conference as called, and felt a bit like he was basically 'trading off' their deaths against those of the MSF doctors and other civillians (I'm sure that was not the intent, but it was how it came off)