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Doctors Without Borders leaves Kunduz, Pentagon cites confusion

Earlier Sunday, the international medical charity said it had withdrawn from the northern Afghan city of Kunduz after deadly airstrikes to its hospital.

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Médecins Sans Frontières
Doctors Without Borders staff are seen after an explosion near their hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2015. Nine local staffers for Doctors Without Borders were killed and 30 were missing after an explosion that may have been caused by a U.S. airstrike. Afghan forces backed by U.S. airstrikes have been fighting to dislodge Taliban insurgents who overran Kunduz on Monday.
  • By Lolita C. Baldor Associated Press

| Madrid

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter is promising a full and transparent investigation into whether a U.S. aircraft providing air support for American and Afghan special operations forces in Afghanistan was responsible for the explosions that destroyed a hospital and killed 22 people.

Carter tells reporters traveling with him in Spain that the situation is "confused and complicated" right now.

U.S. officials say American special operations forces advising Afghan commandos in the vicinity of the hospital requested the air support when they came under fire in the northern city of Kunduz. The officials say the C-130 gunship responded and fired on the area, but it's not certain yet whether that was what destroyed the hospital.

The officials were not authorized to discuss the incident publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Earlier Sunday, the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders said it had withdrawn from the northern Afghan city of Kunduz after the deadly airstrike to its hospital, according to AP reporter Lynne O'Donnell.

"All critical patients have been referred to other health facilities and no MSF staff are working in our hospital," said Kate Stegeman, the communications manager for Doctors Without Borders, using the French acronym for the organization.

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