There’s Always Casualties in War, But…

Lauren Edmunds

OP-ED week 4

October 7, 2015

There’s Always Casualties in War, But…

            In a recent US orchestrated airstrike on the city of Kunduz in Afghanistan 22 doctors and patients were killed and 37 were injured. This airstrike hit a hospital operated by the organization Doctors without Borders. The leader of American forces in Afghanistan, General John F. Campbell stated on Tuesday that the results of the airstrike were due to a decision made by the US and that “it was a mistake”. In an even more recent development on the situation, President Obama called the head of the organization and apologized for the mistake, according to his press secretary.

            Is calling murder a “mistake” and saying “I’m sorry” enough to rectify the situation? As most casualties of war, this situation will eventually be completely forgotten about. President Obama’s weak apology will get lost in a new jumble of international headlines, and the American people will go on about their business as usual.

            But what about the families of the doctors and the patients? What about the organization itself?  It is impossible to expect some to have a simple, quick recovery from this horrific situation. It doesn’t have to be this way. There are ways our government can and should be held accountable for this deadly “mistake” and it is up to the American people to make sure that they are.

            First, it is important to establish that what happened is a crime. The United States government murdered 22 innocent people in cold blood. Congress ratified a number of treaties called the Geneva Conventions that reference the treatment of civilians or those rendered incapable of fighting during war. The airstrike was on a hospital and all those whom were killed were not involved in the war.

Second, it is also important to know that the entire situation is still completely mysterious. The American government has admitted to being behind the incident, but all circumstances surrounding the airstrike are still unknown. There has not been any formal announcements regarding any sort of probe or investigations into the situation.

Finally, the basic premise for the airstrike is related to the fall of Kunduz to the Taliban last week. This is a major city in Afghanistan and the Taliban is currently wreaking havoc there. The fall of Kunduz is critical to American foreign policy as it happened right before General Campbell was to go before Congress and discuss the amount of involvement America should continue to have in the country and the event is expected to influence Gen. Campbell’s testimony.

             To begin, a non-American organization should first do some fact-finding on the situation as a whole. The true facts of the situation could really determine what should be done to bring justice to the families of the victims. Questions are swirling about exactly how much awareness of the situation our military had before they cleared the strike. How could a mistake like this happen in general? Were there specific individuals that can be held responsible for the event? In order to hold someone accountable for this tragedy, it is necessary to have all of the facts of the situation.

            Once all the factors of the situation are determined, only then it is possible to start implementing sanctions on those responsible and the United States. If the details uncovered show the United States in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions, the United States should be sanctioned accordingly. It is not enough to simply chalk the murders up to a “mistake”. There may not have been any intention to kill innocent people, but intent is not the only factor when it comes to violating laws, international or otherwise.

            22 innocent human beings were murdered because of the United States. It would be easy for the American people to let this mistake pass and to not take accountability for our actions. As a global hegemon, we expect other states to follow the treaties and international laws we have all agreed upon, yet when the time comes to own up to things, it is easy for us to bow out of the challenge. It is time for America to be the example we claim to be. It is time to bring justice to our fellow citizens of the world. It is time to take responsibility for our actions.