Kunduz hospital bombing: MSF demands independent investigation as it 'cannot rely' on military inquiry

At least 22 people died in the attack on the remote hospital in Afghanistan

Medical staff in the immediate aftermath of an airstrike against their hospital in Kunduz, Afghanistan (AP)

International aid agency MSF has demanded an independent examination of events that led to the US bombing of a hospital in Afghanistan, claiming it cannot trust the results of an internal investigation.

The international medical charity said on Wednesday it was “not just an attack on our hospital – it was an attack on the Geneva Conventions. It cannot be tolerated.”

Kunduz hospital was partially destroyed in a US bombardment on Saturday that killed at least 22 people. The hospital was the only trauma centre in the north-east with a working operation theatre.

Joanne Liu, the medical charity's president, told reporters the International Humanitarian Fact-Finding Commission (IHFFC) has been asked to investigate. Ms Liu told reporters in Geneva: "We cannot rely on internal military investigation by the US, Nato and Afghan forces."

The IHFFC's main purpose is to "investigate allegations of grave breaches and serious violations of international humanitarian law." It is believed to be the first time the IHFFC has been asked to investigate since its creation in 1991.

Although the US has admitted to bombing the facility, it claims the air strike was a mistake. "We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility," General John Campbell, US commander of international forces in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee in Washington on Tuesday.

A number of investigations - including by US Department of Justice, the Pentagon, Nato and an American-Afghan team - have been ordered.

MSF says the measure intends to establish the chain of events and the individuals in charge of the strike. There is no intention to press criminal charges yet.