Page 3 - HOH OCT 8, 2015
P. 3
U.S. NEWS A5
Thursday 8 October 2015
Obama apologizes to aid group for US attack on Afghan clinic
JOSH LEDERMAN strike, an admission that have been a war crime accountable if necessary. duz from the Taliban had
Associated Press complicates delicate U.S. and has described it as U.S. officials have declined requested U.S. air power,
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- efforts in Afghanistan as an attack on the Geneva to discuss most circum- and that a U.S. special op-
dent Barack Obama apol- Obama weighs how many Conventions governing hu- stances of the blunder, erations unit in the “close
ogized to Doctors Without troops to leave there.
Borders on Wednesday Obama told Liu that President Barack Obama speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington,
for the American air at- the U.S. would review
tack that killed at least the attack to determine Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2015. Obama apologized to Doctors Without Borders president for attack on
22 people at its hospital whether changes to U.S.
in Afghanistan, and said military procedures could Afghan medical clinic. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
the U.S. would examine reduce the chances of a
military procedures to look similar incident. Obama manitarian treatment dur- and it’s unclear whether vicinity” was communi-
for better ways to prevent also spoke with Afghan ing war. The White House the strike exceeded the cating with the crew of
such incidents. President Ashraf Ghani to urged patience while the rules applying to Ameri- the heavily armed AC-130
Obama’s telephone call convey condolences and Pentagon works to estab- can forces operating in Af- gunship that pummeled
to the group’s interna- praise Afghan forces for lish what transpired. ghanistan. But the top U.S. the hospital.
tional president, Joanne securing Kunduz, the White Asked whether the apolo- commander in Afghani- MSF wants to mobilize the
Liu, came a day after the House said. Taliban fight- gy signified U.S. culpability stan, Gen. John F. Camp- International Humanitarian
White House had stopped ers had seized control of for loss of life, Earnest said bell, has said Afghan forc- Fact-Finding Commission,
short of an apology, wait- Kunduz for three days last individuals would be held es fighting to retake Kun- based in the Swiss capital,
ing to learn more while week.
acknowledging that the Investigations by the U.S.,
attack was a U.S. mistake. NATO and the Afghan gov-
White House spokesman ernment are underway,
Josh Earnest said Obama but the medical aid group
offered condolences to has called them insuffi-
the staff and pledged a cient and has appealed to
“transparent, thorough the U.S., Afghanistan and
and objective accounting other countries to mobilize
of the facts.” a commission to look into
Liu confirmed the apol- the tragedy. Without ad-
ogy and, in a written state- dressing that demand, the
ment, reiterated her orga- White House offered assur-
nization’s call for the U.S. ances that the Pentagon
government to consent would dutifully carry out its
to an independent inves- internal probe.
tigation “to establish what Doctors Without Borders,
happened in Kunduz, how known by its French lan-
it happened, and why it guage acronym MSF, has
happened.” also said the strike may
“When the United States
makes a mistake, we own Woman awarded $1.6M over DuPont chemical in water
up to it, we apologize
where appropriate, and ANDREW HUGGINS perfluorooctanoic acid, lachia. Bartlett once lived Bartlett’s cancer, said it
we are honest about what AP Legal Affairs Writer also known as C8. The expects to appeal. Com-
transpired,” Earnest said. COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — An chemical is used to make closer to the river. Her law- pany spokesman Gregg
He described Obama’s Ohio woman was award- Teflon. Some 3,500 people Schmidt said the jury deci-
apology as “heartfelt.” ed $1.6 million Wednesday say they became ill after yer said she was thrilled by sion not to award punitive
Emerging details about in the trial of a lawsuit that the company dumped damages validates the
the erroneous strike have alleged a chemical from a C8 into the Ohio River and the verdict. company’s position that
only fueled growing con- DuPont Co. plant contami- their drinking water from DuPont never consciously
demnation by Doctors nated drinking water and its Washington Works plant “She understands that she disregarded the risks to
Without Borders and other contributed to her con- near Parkersburg, West Vir- people living near the
aid groups in the four days tracting kidney cancer. ginia. did good for the commu- Parkersburg plant.
since the clinic in the north- A jury awarded the dam- The trial, which lasted Schmidt said workers and
ern city of Kunduz came ages to 59-year-old Carla about three weeks, was nities all up and down the plant officials drank the
under heavy fire that killed Bartlett of Guysville in one the latest development same water as residents.
a dozen staffers and 10 of two cases that could in- in a yearslong battle be- Ohio River,” attorney Mike Of its eight employees with
patients. After initial confu- fluence thousands of simi- tween DuPont and resi- cancer in 1989, only one
sion, officials determined lar lawsuits over the chemi- dents of the Mid-Ohio Val- Papantonio said. had worked at length with
the U.S. had carried out the cal giant’s discharge of ley in the heart of Appa- C8, he said.q
He said the jury decision
was vindication for those
who argued that C8 is
“bio-persistent,” refer-
ring to its presence in the
bloodstream years after
contamination.
DuPont, which maintains
C8 didn’t contribute to
