Originally posted by the Voice of America. Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America, a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in the public domain. Doctors Without Borders Withdraws From Kunduz by VOA News A medical aid group said Sunday it has pulled staff from Kunduz where a suspected U.S. airstrike on its hospital there killed at least 19 people, including three children, and denied reports that Taliban fighters were firing at Afghan and NATO forces from the hospital. "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. Polly Markandya, a Doctors Without Borders representative in London, said staff and patients had been relocated to two other facilities in Kabul and another location two hours away from the city. ''MSF has said the airstrike, probably carried out by U.S.-led coalition forces, killed 12 staff and seven patients on Saturday in its hospital, leaving 37 wounded. 'Sustained bombing' MSF described the attack as "sustained bombing" that continued for more than "30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed" of the airstrikes. Meinie Nicolai, MSF president, described the attack as "abhorrent and a grave violation of international humanitarian law" and demanded "total transparency" from coalition forces. Nicolai said "We cannot accept that this horrific loss of life will simply be dismissed as 'collateral damage.'" The U.S. military, which has acknowledged it conducted a predawn airstrike in the vicinity of a MSF medical facility, has promised a full investigation into the incident. ''A spokesman for American forces in Afghanistan said a U.S. airstrike "may have resulted in collateral damage to a nearby medical facility.'' The northern Afghan city of Kunduz was captured by Taliban forces nearly a week ago in a surprise move that marked the first time the insurgent group captured a major city since being ousted from power in 2001. The city has since been a scene of fierce fighting as Afghan forces fought their way into the city four days ago. Battles between Taliban and Afghan forces continue in many places, despite government claims to have taken control of the area. 'Human shield' In Kabul, the Afghan Ministry of Defense said Taliban fighters had attacked the hospital and were using the building "as a human shield." But MSF denied this, with Stegeman saying there were no insurgents in the facility at the time of the bombing. "The gates of the hospital compound were closed all night so no one that is not staff, a patient or a caretaker was inside the hospital when the bombing happened," MSF said in a statement on Sunday. "In any case, bombing a fully functioning hospital can never be justified." However, Associated Press video footage of the burned out compound in the east of Kunduz city shows automatic weapons, including rifles and at least one machine gun, on windowsills. WATCH: Related video of burned-out hospital ''MSF said in a statement that its trauma hospital in Kunduz was hit by a series of aerial bombing raids at approximately 15 minute intervals from 2:08 a.m. until 3:15 a.m., local time Saturday. 'Repeatedly hit' MSF said the building "was repeatedly hit very precisely during each aerial raid, while surrounding buildings were left mostly untouched." "The bombs hit and then we heard the plane circle round," said Heman Nagarathman, MSF head of programs in northern Afghanistan. "This happened again and again ... the main hospital building was engulfed in flames ... patients who were unable to escape burned to death as they lay in their beds." Nagarathman said, "We have several times communicated through the GPS coordinates the exact location of the hospital to all warring parties so we really don't understand and we definitely don't accept the notification of collateral damage." MSF said it had provided the GPS coordinates to "coalition and Afghan military and civilian officials" on September 29 to avoid the hospital being hit. Obama: Deepest condolences U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday offered his "deepest condolences to the medical professionals and other civilians killed and injured in the tragic incident." U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter offered his "thoughts and prayers to everyone affected," in a statement Saturday. "A full investigation into the tragic incident is underway in coordination with the Afghan government." Commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan General John Campbell promised to "thoroughly examine the incident and determine what happened." Campbell said that the U.S. forces in the country will "continue to advise and assist" the Afghan partners as "they clear the city of Kunduz and surrounding areas of insurgents." ''Afghan President Ashraf Ghani also expressed his "deep sorrow" over the killing and wounding of civilians in a statement issued in Kabul. The statement also said Campbell, in a telephone call to Ghani, provided explanations about the incident and offered condolences to those affected. The International Committee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan strongly condemned the attack, saying that from its perspective "targeting of any medical facility or personnel working in health care is unacceptable regardless of the circumstances." A spokesperson for the committee told VOA that ICRC was "very shocked, very saddened, by this tragic news." Some of the strongest condemnation came from the United Nations. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and U.N. human rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein called the airstrike "inexcusable." Zeid said, "International and Afghan military planners have an obligation to respect and protect civilians at all times, and medical facilities and personnel are the object of a special protection." He said "if established as deliberate in a court of law, an airstrike on a hospital may amount to a war crime." "MSF urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened," the medical group said in a statement. The group said that when the bombing occurred, there were around 105 patients and their caretakers in the hospital, and more than 80 foreign and local MSF staff present there. Fierce fighting Afghan troops, backed by U.S. airstrikes, have been engaged in heavy fighting in Kunduz against Taliban militants who had taken over the city earlier in the week. Authorities in Afghanistan said Friday that at least 60 people have been killed and 466 wounded in the battle between government troops and the Taliban for control of Kunduz. Ghani announced late Thursday that Afghan security forces, after heavy fighting, recaptured most of Kunduz three days after the provincial capital fell to the Taliban. ''Clashes, however, were continuing into the weekend because officials said insurgents were still holed up in parts of it. A Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, in a statement sent to VOA has denied the presence of its fighters in the area. A Health Ministry spokesman said Friday the government has been sending surgical teams and medical supplies to Kunduz. But the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it is increasingly concerned about the welfare of civilians and the lack of medical supplies and personnel in the city of around 300,000 people. In its statement issued Friday, the ICRC said it has emergency medical supplies ready to be flown from Kabul as soon as security at the city's airport improves. "We call on all parties to the conflict to ensure the safety of the civilian population and to facilitate the work of those trying to provide humanitarian support to the people," it quoted ICRC's Afghanistan head, Jean-Nicolas Marti as saying. VOA's Sarah Williams contributed to this report. Some material for this report came from Reuters. __________________________________________________________________ [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/doctors-without-borders-withdraws-fro m-kunduz/2990761.html References 1. http://www.voanews.com/content/doctors-without-borders-withdraws-from-kunduz/2990761.html