WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — On October 3, the United States carried out airstrikes on the well-known MSF hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan. Initial reports indicated that 22 people had been killed, including doctors and patients.
“The CCAT [Combined Civilian Casualty Assessment Team] investigation… there have been several reasons for delay,” Cook said. “The actual identification of the casualties… has proven to be much more problematic than they expected going in.”
US investigators, Cook noted, are working closely with MSF and Afghan authorities to identify the victims.
The US military is also conducting a separate probe into the causes of the hospital bombing in Kunduz, he added.
On Monday, MSF Executive Director Jason Cone said the death toll from the hospital bombing could rise, as they try to identify remains using DNA analysis.
MSF recently concluded a report on the Kunduz airstrikes, interviewing 30 eye-witnesses who reported being attacked by a US AC-130 gunship aircraft, which shot at patients and medical staff fleeing the hospital.
MSF operated the hospital for four years with the approval of Afghan, NATO and US authorities, nor with consent of Taliban and government opposition members.
Moreover, MSF has repeatedly characterized the October 3 bombing as a war crime.
