UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — US airstrikes on the hospital in the Afghan city killed 22 people, including MSF staff and 3 children, and wounded dozens more on October 3.
“Afghanistan faces a long and challenging road to peace, stability and development. But after thousands of lives lost and billions of dollars invested, it is imperative that we do not give up now. We must renew our commitment to supporting the people of Afghanistan on its difficult road to recovery,” John Ging said Tuesday in a statement.
The UN official called for particular international commitment to address urgent humanitarian needs, as well as to contribute to peace and stability in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Ging recalled that some 7.4 million people in Afghanistan need humanitarian assistance, including 130,000 people newly displaced by conflict in the country, adding that both governmental and international funding for crisis settlement has declined recently.
The hospital in Kunduz, a city of 300,000 in northern Afghanistan, was bombed in the midst of intense fighting between the Afghan army and the Taliban militants who recaptured their former stronghold on October 1.
Security in Afghanistan has become fragile following the withdrawal of NATO forces in December 2014 and an ensuing spring offensive by militants, including the Taliban and the Islamic State.
The current US plan is to end military presence in Afghanistan by December 2016, closing the remaining US bases in the country
