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ByRobertBurns The Associated Press WASHINGTON Morethan a dozen U.S. military per- sonnel have been dis- ciplined — but face no criminal charges — for mistakes that led to the bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospi- tal that killed 42 people in Afghanistan last year, U.S. defense officials say. The punishments, which have not been publicly announced, are largely administrative. But in some cases the ac- tions, such as letters of reprimand, are tough enough to effectively end chances for further pro- motion. The military has previously said some per- sonnel were suspended from their duties but has given no further details. The disciplined include both officers and enlisted personnel, but officials said none are generals. The officials, who were not authorized to dis- cuss the outcomes pub- licly and so spoke on con- dition of anonymity, said the disciplinary process is nearly complete. It is de- rived from a military in- vestigation of the Oct. 3, 2015, attack, the results of which are expected to be made public in a partially redacted form in coming days. Sandra Murillo, a spokeswoman for Doc- tors Without Borders, said the charity would not comment on disciplin- ary actions until the Pen- tagon communicates its decisions directly to the group or makes a public announcement. The hospital, run by the medical charity Doc- tors Without Borders in the northern city of Kun- duz, was attacked by a U.S. Air Force special op- erations AC-130 gunship, one of the most lethal in the U.S. arsenal. Doctors Without Borders called the attack "relentless and brutal" and demanded an international investiga- tion, but none has been undertaken. Army Gen. John Camp- bell, who was the top U.S. commander in Afghani- stan at the time but has since relinquished com- mand, has called it a "tragic but avoidable ac- cident caused primarily by human error." The attack was un- leashed as U.S. military advisers were helping Af- ghan forces retake Kun- duz, which had fallen to the Taliban on Sept. 28. It was the first major city to fall since the Taliban were expelled from Kabul in 2001. Afghan officials claimed the hospital had been overrun by the Taliban, but no evidence of that has surfaced. The hos- pital was destroyed and Doctors Without Borders, also known by its French acronym, MSF, ceased op- erations in Kunduz. President Barack Obama apologized for the attack, which was one of the deadliest assaults on civilians in the 15-year war. The U.S. command in Kabul said in February that it has expressed con- dolences and offered pay- ment to more than 140 families and individuals affected by the attack. In November the U.S. military provided an out- line of what happened. It said the crew of the AC- 130 gunship, which is armed with side-firing cannons and guns, had been dispatched to hit a Taliban command center in a different building, 450 yards away from the hospital. However, ham- pered by problems with their targeting sensors, the crew relied on a phys- ical description that led them to begin firing at the hospital even though they saw no hostile activ- ity there. Many chances to avert the error were missed, of- ficials said. At a November news conference, Brig. Gen. Wil- son Shoffner, a spokesman for Campbell, said the ac- tions taken by the U.S. aircrew were "not appro- priate" to the threat they faced, suggesting that a number of them could be faulted. Campbell and Shoff- ner said that neither the U.S. Special Forces com- mander who called in the strike at the request of Af- ghan forces, nor the U.S. aircrew, was aware that a hospital was being hit un- til it was too late. The main U.S. military investigation was com- pleted on Nov. 15 but has not yet been publicly re- leased. U.S. Central Com- mand, which is responsi- ble for U.S. military oper- ations in Afghanistan and across the greater Mid- east, rejected in Decem- ber an AP Freedom of In- formation Act request for the report, which it said was approximately 5,000 pages long. A separate U.S. re- port on the incident, ob- tained last fall by The As- sociated Press, said the AC-130 aircraft fired 211 shells at the hospital com- pound over 29 minutes be- fore commanders realized the mistake and ordered a halt. Doctors Without Bor- ders officials contacted co- alition military person- nel during the attack to say the hospital was "be- ing 'bombed' from the air," and the word finally was relayed to the AC-130 crew, the report said. In an interview with re- porters last week, Camp- bell, who is retiring on May 1, said the fall of Kun- duz was a surprise — per- haps even to the Taliban. "They had no clue they were going to take over Kunduz," he said. The in- surgents had infiltrated a small number of fighters and attacked a prison in the city, he said. "They got in the prison and the police just kind of left," and so the Taliban decided to keep pressing with the help of other Af- ghan police who colluded with the Taliban and were "bought off," Campbell said. U.S. special operations forces were then sent to the area in support of Af- ghan forces. US MILITARY PERSONNEL Morethan 12 punished for mistaken hospital attack be a dad today. Take time to C a l l 8 7 7- 4 D A D 4 11 o r v i s i t w w w . f a t h e r h o o d . g o v By Dave Kolpack The Associated Press FARGO, N.D. The North Da- kota Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a man who was tried last year on a 20-year-old drunken driving charge. Jason Gale was arrested for drunken driving in 1995 in Grand Forks but wasn't called to court until last July, when a jury found him guilty. Gale's attorney, Scott Brand, argued to justices in December that the delay vio- lated Gale's right to a speedy trial. "The government was clearly negligent. It's 20 years, memories are going to fade and that was obvious at the trial," Brand told The AssociatedPressonWednes- day. "The officer just mem- orized his report. He didn't have any independent recol- lection as to what happened on that night." Grand Forks city prose- cutor Kristi Pettit Venhui- zen did not immediately re- spondtoanemailrequestfor comment. The opinion released late Tuesday said justices can't presume that a 20-year-old case was "diligently prose- cuted when there is no evi- dence of any prosecution at all" and that two decades is an unprecedented amount of time for a DUI case to re- main idle. "I have never seen a case like this in my life or even so much heard of one," Brand said. Venhuizen had argued that Gale made a concerted effort to avoid prosecution and that there was ample evidence to pursue the case. But Brand said Gale moved to Colorado shortly after the DUI arrest and was told by his previous lawyer that he would settle the case in Gale's absence. Later, Gale was involved in separate courtcasesintwoNorthDa- kotacountiesandauthorities failedtoflagtheoutstanding warrant. Venhuizen said the city sent Gale three notices two decades ago telling him the case was not settled. Gale said he wasn't aware of the warrant until he discovered it while applying for a job earlier this year. A judge re- jected his request to dismiss the case and it went to trial. Gale lost and was ordered to pay a $500 fine. "This shows that justice may not be swift," Brand said, "but it will come when the right case presents itself." 1995 ARREST Court strikes conviction on 20-year-old DUI charge PILEUP ON BRIDGE KAREEMELGAZZAR—THECINCINNATIENQUIRER Authorities from multiple jurisdictions responded to the Combs-Hehl Bridge a er a car le the roadway, crashing into the Ohio River in Campbell County, Kentucky. The Associated Press NEWPORT, KY. Search and recovery efforts were sus- pended early Wednesday for a car that plunged into the Ohio River after a mas- sive pileup on a bridge lead- ing from Kentucky to Cin- cinnati. Water rescue officials say the river's rising level and strong current make it unsafe, said Campbell County Director of Emer- gency Management Wil- liam Turner. "The river is still sup- posed to rise over the next couple of days, so it's just not safe to put rescuers in," he said. Campbell County Po- lice Chief Craig Sorrell said 12 vehicles were involved in four separate accidents Tuesday at rush hour on the Combs-Hehl Bridge, which carries Interstate 275 from Campbell County, Ken- tucky, to Cincinnati. Rescue teams from sev- eral agencies searched the river for hours immediately following the crash. Sor- rell said crews were able to use sonar imaging to find the location of the car, but they haven't been able to re- cover it. A statement from the Campbell County Police De- partment says it will likely be Sunday or Monday be- fore rescue teams can safely renew efforts to recover the vehicle and any occupants. Boone County Water Res- cue Director Dale Appel was quoted by The Kentucky Enquirer as saying that the river's current is moving at 4 mph, eight times its nor- mal speed. "The river is out of control for major opera- tions," Appel said. Officials said they still don't know how many peo- ple were inside the car when it toppled over the side of the bridge, but po- lice are seeking help in an effort to identify who might have been in the car. Police said in a state- ment Wednesday that any- one not able to account for friends or family who might have been traveling across the Combs-Hehl Bridge on Tuesday should call the de- partment. Search effort suspended for car that plunged into Ohio River Save a life. Don't Drive HoMe buzzeD. BUZZED DRIVING IS DRUNK DRIVING. Save a life. Don't Drive HoMe buzzeD. 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