U.S. Not Guilty of War Crimes in Afghanistan; Taliban Is

An AC-130 gunship

The Pentagon has released its investigation into the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital last October that killed 42 people: It determined the U.S. military was not guilty of war crimes. Doctors Without Borders called the airstrike a war crime and called for an independent investigation into how an AC-130 scrambled to back up Afghan security forces who were fighting Taliban fighters in the city of Kunduz. Military Brass, however, determined that the bombing of the hospital could only be called criminal if there was intentionality in the actions of the soldiers. War is hell, after all, no matter how many rules of engagement bureaucrats pile on.

“The truth is that thousands of Americans have been wounded or died trying to save Afghans and foreigners from the Taliban,” opines The Wall Street Journal. “Doctors Without Borders does brave work in war zones, but its anger in this case should be directed at the Taliban, which invaded Kunduz for its own terrorist purposes and put Afghan civilians under siege.” Furthermore, Afghanistan will not have lasting peace until groups like the Taliban no longer exist there.