UN condemns Afghan hospital bombing

(Vatican Radio) The United Nations human rights chief has condemned Saturday’s airstrike on a hospital in Afghanistan, run by international charity Doctors Without Borders, saying it could be tantamount to war crime.  The charity said 16, including 3 children were among the dead after its hospital came under ``sustained bombing'' as government and international forces continue to battle Taliban fighters in the northern city of Kunduz.

In a statement, UN High Commission for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein described the attack as "utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal."  "This deeply shocking event should be promptly, thoroughly and independently investigated and the results should be made public," he said. "The seriousness of the incident is underlined by the fact that, if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime,"Zeid added. 

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon has also strongly condemned the airstrikes on the hospital in Kunduz.  In a statement issued by his spokesperson, the UN chief said that “hospitals and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law.”  Ban has called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack in order to ensure accountability.