The airstrike killed 42 people in Kunduz Afghanistan
Credit
Victor J. Blue for The New York Times
WASHINGTON รข€” The Defense Department has disciplined at least a dozen military personnel for their roles in an airstrike in October on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan that killed 42 people, senior military officials said, but they are not expected to face criminal charges.
The personnel, including officers and enlisted members, were given administrative punishments, the officials said. The Associated Press first reported the disciplinary actions Wednesday.
Among those disciplined are soldiers who were on the ground, personnel at the operations center that oversaw the strike, and airmen. Others involved may also be disciplined, the officials said.
Administrative punishments typically include letters of reprimand, which can significantly hurt the ability of a member of the military to get promoted.
The Pentagon is expected to release a report on the inquiry in the coming weeks, officials there said. Investigators have cited many factors, including breakdowns in communication between Afghan forces and American Special Operations forces.
The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were discussing action that had not been officially announced by the Defense Department.
According to American military commanders, Afghan fighters who had been sent to Kunduz to stop a Taliban attack had asked the Special Operations forces for air support. The fighters are not believed to have had much familiarity with Kunduz, having been rushed to the city just days before the attack.
At the time of the strike, the Afghans were battling the Taliban in a densely populated part of the city, and commanders believe that a miscommunication led an American AC-130 gunship to fire on the wrong building.
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