General: US won't intentionally target medical facility

Washington -  The top US general in Afghanistan says a hospital in Kunduz was "mistakenly struck" in a US air strike at the weekend.

General John Campbell told a Senate panel that the strike, which left more than 20 people dead, was conducted at the request of Afghanistan security forces and that US troops would never intentionally target a medical facility.

Campbell also says he would support keeping US troops in Afghanistan beyond the current deadline, which calls for remaining troops to leave by the end of 2017.

Earlier on Tuesday, UN emergency relief spokesperson Jens Laerke said all humanitarian agencies had left Kunduz following the air strike. 

Water and electricity remained cut off on Monday in Kunduz, food markets were closed, and thousands of people have fled, according to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

"There are presently no humanitarian agencies left inside Kunduz city," Laerke says.

Aid organisations are currently unable to access the city because Taliban and government forces keep fighting, the airport is closed, and road bombs and ambushes present additional risks, he explained.