The tragedy caused an international outcry. But despite almost universal condemnation, not one Western nation has dared censure the United States for its actions.
After the bombing, MSF appealed to 76 nations, requesting support for an impartial international investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident. However none of the 76 countries stepped forward to show their support for an independent investigation by the Humanitarian Commission.
PHOTOS: @MSF Reveals Gruesome Details of #KunduzAttack https://t.co/uTBfa7r8sa #DoctorsWithoutBorders pic.twitter.com/sl1paH5vtG
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) 6 ноября 2015
Although US President Barack Obama publically apologized to the head of the MSF, the United States is still refusing to consent to an independent investigation.
Immediately following the first reports of the tragedy, dozens of American journalists insisted that the US couldn't be found guilty even if it bombed the hospital, despite not having investigated the nature of the tragedy or what errors in judgment could have led to it. The US military insisted it was ‘collateral damage’ and that these things just happen, The Intercept pointed out on Friday.
“They cling to this self-flattering belief so vehemently that they not only refused to entertain the possibility that the US government might have done something bad on purpose, but they scornfully mock anyone who questions the official claim of 'mistake',” writes The Intercept.
This approach smacks of American Exceptionalism: the idea that the usual rules don't apply to the US. Accordingly, Americans are always doing what's best and everyone makes mistakes sometimes, so any notion that there should be an investigation into the motives or mistakes that led to the bombing of a civilian hospital should be dismissed, according to The Intercept.
Here are some examples of government apologists who believe anyone who would blame America is unpatriotic and harboring animosity.
Christian Science Monitor
Seems silly to write this, but: Trust me, the US airstrike on the hospital in Kunduz will almost certainly prove to be an accident.
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) 3 октября 2015
Doesn't mean "mistake" was not due to failures of command, of protocol, or something else or raise questions. But enough with "deliberate."
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) 3 октября 2015
Almost a month later, Murphy switched from negation to what might be construed as a justification:
Clearly the US should have just let the Taliban over-run Kunduz and abandon the Afghan govt. For morality.
— Dan Murphy (@bungdan) 29 октября 2015
Vox
The bombing of Doctors Without Borders is a horrible accident, but also a consequence of the kind of war we've chosen http://t.co/m4omsIc4FW
— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) 5 октября 2015
New Yorker
The Fall of Kunduz: #Afghanistan, #Taliban & the #Waronterror http://t.co/B9iOpKBIQH
— Annette (@AMGR_75006) 8 октября 2015
Boston Globe
Are people seriously arguing that the U.S. bombed this hospital on purpose? https://t.co/UkrsoPoHg5
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) 3 октября 2015
@felixsalmon The suggestion that a lot of people are making that the US intentionally bombed this hospital is frankly absurd
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) 7 октября 2015
Agreed @DemocraticMolly: I have high respect for our military, but we need to find out how this tragic accident happened & how to prevent it
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) 7 октября 2015
… but idea US bombed a hospital on purpose, knowing it was a hospital, is a gross charge & speaks to ignorance abt how the military operates
— Michael Cohen (@speechboy71) 7 октября 2015
“When you’re lucky enough as a government and military to have hordes of journalists so subservient and nationalistic that they do and say this — to exonerate you fully — before knowing any facts, why would you ever feel the need to submit to someone else’s investigation?” The Intercept concludes.
