U.S. Troops Ransacked Swedish Hospital

The hospital is in Shaniz in the province of Wardak and is run by the Swedish Committee for Afghanistan (SCA).

Around eight o’clock Wednesday, an American military convoy arrived at the hospital, says Country Director of SCA Anders Fänge to Dagbladet.no. They tied up four staff members and two relatives of patients. After that they marched into the hospital and searched it.

Fänge says that the soldiers entered both the male and female wards of the hospital, which has around 30 beds in total. The doors were locked and the soldiers did not wait for keys, they just kicked the doors in. One led to a room for malnourished children and the other to an examination room for pregnant women.

According to Fänge, the soldiers were looking for members of the Taliban that they thought were being treated at the hospital. They found none.

Both the staff and patients were very worried and upset. The staff has stated that if something like this happens again they will quit their jobs.

The soldiers left the hospital at midnight. They acted brutish and rude and gave the staff at the hospital orders to immediately report any Taliban being admitted to the hospital.

“Such behavior is unacceptable. It is a violation of international treaties and a threat to our work and the security of our personnel,” Fänge said.

If word gets out amongst the Taliban that the staff is reporting to American troops, the hospital will become a target. It is incredibly dangerous that the Americans are doing this, and they know it. SCA does not intend to do what the soldiers asked.

“Our hospitals are taking care of all injured and sick, regardless of who they are and regardless of them being rebels, soldiers or civilians,” said Fänge.

The U.S. military claims, according to Fänge, that the troops asked permission to enter the hospital and that they behaved in a polite and respectful manner.