U.S. to make ‘condolence payments’ to victims of hospital strike

The Pentagon said Saturday the U.S. Department of Defense will try to make “condolence payments” to families of the victims of a U.S. air strike that accidentally hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan last week.

The Department of Defense said in a statement that the U.S. “believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan.”

“One step the Department can take is to make condolence payments to civilian non-combatants injured and the families of civilian non-combatants killed as a result of U.S. military operations,” the statement said.

The strike killed 22 people, including 12 staff members, and prompted the medical charity to call for an independent investigation into the incident.

On Oct. 3, Executive Director for Doctors Without Borders Jason Cone told PBS NewsHour:

“It was clear that this was a fully functioning hospital — that there were hundreds of patients and staff inside — and we need answers. We will accept nothing less than a full, transparent, independent investigation.”

President Barack Obama apologized to Doctors Without Borders on Wednesday and said the U.S. would review its military procedures in the wake of the accidental strike.