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Afghan Hospital Bombing: MSF Demands Investigation Under Geneva Conventions

posted by n1 on Thursday October 08 2015, @06:44PM   
from the known-unknowns-of-collateral-damage dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes:

A Médecins sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) hospital was bombed by the US. Result, 12 dead staff members and 10 dead patients. The coordinates of the hospital had been communicated to the US forces before to avoid mistakes. The US admits the attack was a decision. MSF is now seeking an independent inquiry.

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Original Submission

• Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. (Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @03:35AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @03:35AM (#247243)

  The fact of the matter is: Those who aid and abet the enemy are traitors or enemies. One may wish to grant them some form of protection for humanitarian reasons, but then you must also realize that the city was falling to the enemy. They thus serve to benefit mostly the enemies. The cold hard fact is that they also entered the political arena, and this makes them fair game regardless of your myopic and sophomoric view of politics.

  You've obviously never heard of the Geneva Conventions. [wikipedia.org]

  Parent

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• Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @05:02AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @05:02AM (#247267)

  The cold hard fact is that they also entered the political arena, and this makes them fair game regardless of your myopic and sophomoric view of politics.

  TARGET ACQUIRED:::
  Anonymous Coward, SoylentNews
  IP Addr: XXX.XXX.XXX.XXX
  Geospatial Coordinates: XXEXXX'XX.XX
  Missle Armed. Proceed?

  Commander: WTF, this GPS reading puts this target in the middle of a hospital! A mental hospital, but still a protected hospital.
  Corporal: You're correct sir, but he did say that anyone who enters the political arena is a legitimate target, so let us not be myopic or morans here.
  Commander: Perhaps, but still, isn't a a violation of the Geneva convention, the Hague conventions, and the gentleman's agreement going back forever?
  Corporal: No, sir. 9-11 changed everything, and now the fact that he thinks that he can attack our wounded means we can attack him, even though he is mentally wounded and no actual threat to our Glorious Jihad and whatnot.
  Commander: Alright, Corporal. Fire.

  Parent

• Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @10:34AM

  by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @10:34AM (#247341)

  Those only count for what the hospital was doing with a written agreement. It is right there in the conventions. The hospital even admits that they merely told the US armed forces instead of getting a written agreement.

  It doesn't matter anyway. People on the ground said they were taking fire from the building. Once one bullet was sent it was no longer a civilian area. A medic that fires back is a valid military target according to the Geneva Conventions. Always has been that way.

  Parent

  • Re:Focus on the solution, not on the problem. (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @12:32PM

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday October 09 2015, @12:32PM (#247368)

    A medic that fires back is a valid military target according to the Geneva Conventions. Always has been that way.

    Yes, when a single medic fires back that one medic loses their GC protections, but a single person firing from a hospital does not make the entire fucking hospital a valid target, only the people who were firing are valid targets. "Somebody shot at us from that hospital!" does not allow you to destroy the entire fucking hospital; raid it looking for the individual, sure, but killing everyone in there - doctors, patients (no matter which "side"), and all - is still a war crime.

    Parent