US defense officials say that around a dozen US troops were “disciplined” over last year’s US attack on a Doctors Without Borders (MSF) hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan, an attack which killed 42 civilians.
Officials declined to identify any of the troops, except to say it included both officers and enlisted personnel, and no generals. No criminal charges were filed against anyone over the killings, condemned as a war crime. Most were simply “administrative” rebukes, though a handful faced letters of reprimand, which are likely to harm the soldier’s chance of promotion.
The Pentagon has offered several excuses for the attack, which all boil down to the incident being an accident and no one really being at fault, but the US has also loudly opposed the idea of an international investigation, as demanded by MSF officials.
MSF declined comment on the reports that no criminal charges will be filed, saying they are holding off judgement until the Pentagon communicates with them or makes a public statement, as opposed to anonymous officials just leaking the news.
Oh my, that’s tough. Just another fine instance of justice in the empire. I’m sure promotions and transfers to lucrative positions in the weapons mafia are forthcoming.
Impunity for war criminals, draconian punishment for whistleblowers.
America is never wrong
IMO, I would be surprised if anyone was actually “reprimanded.” Since no one was identified there is no chance “facts” can be verified. But then again, the Pentagon never lies… And if Bushco’s actions in Iraq of being ultimately responsible for the death of hundreds of thousands of innocents were never charged and prosecuted it’s simply silly to expect that people are going to go to jail for the deaths of 42.
What, no medals?!?!?
Repremanded? What does that mean?
Where is all this “transparency” we keep hearing about? So for this war crime we get Pentagon mumbling about reprimands. So Solly Dolly. Just a few brownskins and some do-gooder medical people.
It’s not like any US military personnel were hurt. So no war crime, pls move along.
It is essential that those soldiers who did this do not suffer at all, if the US is to remain in Afghanistan. The US is on the defensive and attempting to hold the whole of Afghanistan with the remnants of its forces. This means the boots on the ground must be anyone they can scrape up; undisciplined, untrained, and not really caring whether ISIS, the Taliban, or the US puppets rule the show. The only real support the US can give them is the massive, rapidly deployed firepower of its air force. If they do not get immediate massive support when under pressure, they’ll collapse. The routs in Iraq show what can happen. The only way to avoid this problem is to abandon Afghanistan entirely, and leave it to the tender mercies of ISIS and the Taliban. Perhaps MSF know this, so they’re offering the Pentagon the option of keeping its mouth shut?