(CNN) The commander of American and NATO forces has personally apologized for the U.S. airstrike a half year ago that destroyed an Afghanistan hospital and killed dozens of staff and patients.
Gen. John Nicholson, new to his position as commander of the forces, met with families of the victims from the attack, The New York Times first reported, and issued a clear and personal apology on Tuesday.
"I grieve with you for your loss and suffering; and humbly and respectfully ask for your forgiveness. We mourn the death of any Afghan, but the death and wounding of innocent Afghans because of our mistake is extremely painful to us," Nicholson said in remarks provided to CNN.
"As commander, I wanted to come to Kunduz personally and stand before the families, and the people of Kunduz, to deeply apologize for the events which destroyed the hospital and caused the deaths of the hospital staff, the patients and their family members," Nicholson said.
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A U.S. airstrike in the Afghan city of Kunduz last October destroyed a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders and killed at least 30 hospital staff and patients, including children, according to the charity group.
Gen. Nicholson's predecessor, Gen. John Campbell, blamed the strike on on "avoidable human error, compounded by process and equipment failures," and said it was instead meant for a nearby site where Taliban fighters were firing.
President Barack Obama apologized in a call with the group's president shortly after the airstrike and promised that a Defense Department inquiry would uncover what went wrong.