UN chief slams deadly airstrikes on Afghan hospital

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon on Saturday strongly condemned airstrikes that killed medical staff and civilians in a hospital in Afghanistan, calling for "a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack in order to ensure accountability".

"The secretary-general strongly condemns the airstrikes in Kunduz, Afghanistan, that resulted in the death and injury of medical workers and patients at a Medecins Sans Frontieres hospital on October 3," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

"The secretary-general recalls that hospitals and medical personnel are explicitly protected under international humanitarian law," the statement said. "He calls for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack in order to ensure accountability."

At early hours of Saturday, the air raid reportedly launched by the US forces in Afghanistan struck the Medecins Sans Frontieres or MSF hospital in Afghanistan's Kunduz city, killing 19 and injuring 37 others.