Following a details investigation, the Pentagon has not only taken action against more than a dozen of its officials but also have decided to make condolence payments worth USD 5.7 million to 170 individuals and families victims of tragic attack on a Kunduz.
"US Forces-Afghanistan leaders have offered their sympathies and provided condolence payments to more than 170 individuals and families affected by this tragedy. These modest payments are not designed to compensate the victims or place a value on their lives, but are a gesture of sympathy," General Joseph L Votel, Commander of the US Central Command told reporters at a news conference here.
Votel said the investigation concluded that the personnel involved did not know they were striking a medical facility.
The intended target was an insurgent-controlled site which was approximately 400 meters from the Doctors Without Borders Trauma Center, he said.
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The investigation found that an AC-130 gunship air crew in support of a US Special Forces element that was supporting an Afghan partner ground force misidentified and struck the Doctors Without Borders hospital, he added.
The investigation ultimately concluded that the tragic incident was caused by a combination of human errors, compounded by process and equipment failures.
Leading up to this incident, US Special Operations forces and their Afghan partners had been engaged in intense fighting for several consecutive days and nights in Kunduz, and had repelled heavy and sustained enemy attacks, he noted.
The ground force was fatigued from days of fighting, still engaged with an aggressive enemy, and running low on supplies, the general said.