101 East

Afghanistan: Medics Under Fire

We investigate the dangers facing medics on the frontline in the wake of a fatal attack on a hospital in Afghanistan.

It was 2:08am when the first shells hit the Doctors without Borders (MSF) trauma centre in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

The hospital was brimming with patients and staff when a US gunship unleashed an hour-long attack, killing more than 40 people.

The incident shocked the international aid community.

Medics have always been off-limits in war, protected by international laws.

The United States called the Kunduz attack a “tragic accident”, but many believe that medics are increasingly becoming targets in conflicts.

Can frontline doctors continue to save lives without fearing for their own? Or is this the end of their humanitarian work?

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