FATAL MISTAKE

Kunduz Attack Killed 33 Civilians

According to the U.S. military.

A joint U.S. and Afghan operation killed 33 civilians and 27 others in Kunduz province in November 2016, American military officials announced. The airstrikes and firefight were allegedly retaliation after the group came under intense fire during a mission to arrest Taliban commanders in the village of Boz Qandahari. Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., the commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, said, “Regardless of the circumstances, I deeply regret the loss of innocent lives. On this occasion, the Taliban chose to hide amongst civilians and then attacked Afghan and U.S. forces.” Two U.S. soldiers and three Afghan commandos were killed in the fighting. An additional four U.S. soldiers and 11 commandos were injured in the battle. “I wish to assure President Ghani and the people of Afghanistan that we will take all possible measures to protect Afghan civilians,” Nicholson added. In October 2015, a U.S. military gunship fired on a Kunduz hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders. Forty-two people were killed in that attack, which also destroyed most of the hospital.