Washington, Oct 7 (EFE).– U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday telephoned the head of Doctors Without Borders, Joanne Liu, to apologize for the U.S. airstrike on a hospital operated by the organization in Kunduz, Afghanistan.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest reported the telephone call and Obama’s apology at his daily press conference and added that the president also called Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to express his condolences for what occurred at the hospital, where 12 hospital staff and 10 patients died.

According to Earnest, during his conversation with Liu, Obama guaranteed her that the investigation into the attack currently under way at the Defense Department will be “transparent and objective.”

In addition, Obama promised to review reforms to make such “tragedies … less probable” in the future, Earnest said.

When the United States makes a mistake, it takes responsibility and apologizes when it is necessary, Obama’s spokesman said.

The head of U.S. military forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Campbell, admitted on Tuesday at a Senate hearing that the attack on the hospital was a “mistake” and a “decision” made by the U.S. military chain of command.

“We would never intentionally target a protected medical facility,” Campbell told senators. “I must allow the investigation to take its course and, therefore, I’m not at liberty to discuss further specifics at this time. However, I assure you that the investigation will be thorough, objective and transparent.”

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders said Wednesday that an independent commission needed to be set up to establish exactly what happened in the attack on the Kunduz hospital if humanitarian employees are to continue working in combat zones.

In addition, the organization formally asked the United States and Afghanistan to accept an international investigation in the matter. EFE