Afghan hospital said to be misidentified before being bombed

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WASHINGTON (AP) — An investigative report on the U.S. air attack that killed more than two dozen civilians at a medical charity's hospital in northern Afghanistan last month says the crew of the attacking plane misidentified the target, believing it to be a government compound taken over by the Taliban.

The report says the crew of the U.S. AC-130 gunship relied on a physical description of the compound provided by Afghan forces, which led the crew to attack the wrong target. The plane fired 211 shells at the compound before commanders realized the mistake and ordered a halt.

The report says the attack on Oct. 3 in the city of Kunduz killed at least 31 civilians and injured 28 others.

A copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press on Wednesday.