Esra Kaymak
05 October 2015•Update: 05 October 2015
WASHINGTON
Deadly U.S. airstrikes on a medical clinic in northern Afghanistan were not request by U.S forces but by Afghan troops under a Taliban attack, a top U.S. general said Monday.
"We have now learned that on Oct. 3, Afghan forces advised that they were taking fire from enemy positions and asked for air support from U.S. forces," Gen. John Campbell said during a press conference at the Pentagon.
"An airstrike was then called to eliminate the Taliban threat and several civilians were accidentally struck. This is different from the initial reports which indicated that U.S. forces were threatened and that the airstrike was called on their behalf,” said Campbell, who said he wanted to correct an initial U.S. statement that the airstrikes were prompted by threats to U.S. forces.
It has not yet been determined whether the clinic was targeted in error or by mistakes made by U.S. forces but a thorough investigation is being conducted, according to Campbell, who leads U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.
"If errors were committed we will acknowledge them," the commander said, adding his team would take steps to ensure that mistakes were not repeated.
Saturday's airstrikes in Kunduz in northern Afghanistan that killed 22, including staff with the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF), came shortly after the U.S. condemned Russia for its airstrikes in Syria that killed civilians there.
Russia condemned the airstrike at the hospital and said the incident should be investigated.
Campbell is currently in Washington to testify before two congressional committees this week.
