US JETS BOMB 'DOCTORS WITHOUT BORDERS' HOSPITAL

9 Doctors Without Borders workers killed in US air attacks in Afghanistan

Kabul, Afghanistan - Air attacks hit a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the battleground Afghan city of Kunduz early Saturday, killing at least nine hospital staff and injuring others at a facility that had been caring for hundreds already hurt in days of fighting, the charity said.

The U.S. military conducted an airstrike in Kunduz at the time that may have caused collateral damage, and the incident is being investigated, U.S. Army Col. Brian Tibus said.

Specifically, the military is investigating whether a U.S. AC-130 gunship -- which was in the area firing on Taliban positions to defend U.S. special operations troops there -- is responsible, a U.S. military official said on condition of anonymity.

The attacks, which injured at least 37 other people and left part of the hospital in flames and rubble, came on roughly the sixth day of fighting between Afghan government forces -- supported by U.S. airpower and military advisers -- and the Taliban, which invaded the city early this week.

The global charity expressed shock, saying it had told all warring parties the exact location of the trauma center, including most recently on Tuesday.

The charity also said that it had alerted U.S. and Afghan military officials of Saturday's attack, but that the attacks continued.

"The bombing continued for more than 30 minutes after American and Afghan military officials in Kabul and Washington were first informed," the charity, known internationally as Medecins Sans Frontieres, said. "MSF urgently seeks clarity on exactly what took place and how this terrible event could have happened."