On October 3, in Kunduz, Afghanistan, an airstrike attacked a hospital filled with wounded patients, doctors, and innocent civilians. In this brutal attack, 12 staff members and 7 patients were killed, while at least 37 were badly wounded and flown to Kabul for immediate treatment. Hours after this bombing, lethal fires that engulfed the hospital killed many more patients and doctors who were trapped inside. Not only was this an attack on an Afghan hospital, but also an attack on a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders, which included Nobel Prize recipients doctors who treated patients from all sides of the war. Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called this airstrike “utterly tragic, inexcusable, and possibly even criminal.” He continued to state that all military planners need respect and protect all civilians and medical facilities at all times.

Because of this incident, there has been renewed distrust in the United States military’s record of civilian casualties, and how the U.S. fails to meet its goals to minimize these casualties. General Campbell, the United States General in Afghanistan, apologized for the strike, but explained that it was justified because the airstrike was targeted at Taliban members who were directly firing at U.S. service members. Although a recent report has stated that the United States is only the cause of one percent of all civilian casualties and that there have been precautions to minimize the number of casualties, the effects of this tragedy was magnified in the eyes of citizens.

This event was a tragic, but effective wake-up call for the public to realize that there is more to a war than just the opposing sides. Civilians are always present, and they must be protected.