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 Forty-two people were killed and 37 were wounded during an Oct. 3
strike that destroyed the hospital run by the international medical
charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), known as Doctors Without
Borders in English.
An initial U.S. investigation in November found that U.S. forces had
meant to target a different building in the city of Kunduz and were
led off-track by a technical error in their aircraft's mapping
system.
"The investigation concluded that certain personnel failed to comply
with the rules of engagement and the law of armed conflict," General
Joseph Votel, commander of U.S. Central Command, said in a news
briefing on Friday to release the final report. "However, the
investigation did not conclude that these failures amounted to a war
crime."
This is because none of the service members were aware that they
were striking a hospital, Votel said.
 The incident was caused by "unintentional human errors, process
errors, and equipment failures," he said. Fatigue and "high
operational tempo" were also factors, he added.
MSG President Meinie Nicolai responded in a news release that the
briefing amounted to "an admission of an uncontrolled military
operation in a densely populated urban area, during which U.S.
forces failed to follow the basic laws of war."
MSF said the disciplinary action announced on Thursday against 16
service members over the air strike, including a general, was too
light.
It is "out of proportion to the destruction of a protected medical
facility," MSF said.
The report said condolence payments had been made to more than 170
individuals and families and $5.7 million had been approved to
reconstruct the MSF facility.
Votel said $3,000 had been paid for those injured, and $6,000 for
those killed.
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Many victims of the strike in Afghanistan said in interviews that
they were unsatisfied with the findings and actions being taken by
the United States.
"There's a lot of talking without much happening," said Obaidullah
Nazari, who survived in the basement when his brother, a patient at
the hospital, died in the attack.
Votel said that even though fewer U.S. forces were on the ground
than in previous years, he was comfortable with the ability of the
military to evaluate risk factors.
The Obama administration plans to keep 5,500 troops in Afghanistan
into 2017 for training and counter-terrorism operations, down from
about 9,800 now.
The report said General John Campbell, who was then head of U.S. and
NATO forces in Afghanistan, took action against 12 personnel
involved in the strike.
"The actions included suspension and removal from command, letters
of reprimand, formal counseling and extensive retraining," the
report said.
The other personnel were investigated by Votel.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali; Additional reporting by Josh Smith from
Kunduz; Editing by Richard Chang)
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