US to Oppose Bringing Kunduz Bombing Case to International Criminal Court

US State Department said that US would oppose attempts to refer the case of the hospital bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan to the International Criminal Court if US military personnel are found to be responsible for the incident.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States would oppose attempts to refer the case of the hospital bombing in Kunduz, Afghanistan to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if US military personnel are found to be responsible for the incident, US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said on Monday.

Asked if the United States would oppose an attempt to refer the incident to the ICC, Toner said, "That is a perfectly sound assumption."

On Saturday, a hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan was hit by an aerial bomardment that left 22 people dead, including a 12 Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) staff.

According to the Pentagon, the bombardment occurred after Afghan forces called the US military for air support.

MSF called the incident a war crime and announced it will open an independent investigation into the bombing.

Toner said the United States is "just not there yet" in terms of calling the incident a war crime.

As a result of the accident, the United States is opening three separate investigations, by the Department of Defense, members of Operation Resolute Support in Afghanistan, and a joint US-Afghan investigation.

The ICC was founded in 2002 and has 123 members. The United States has refused to join the court.