The United States has paid $50,000 in compensation for each Afghan killed in the shooting spree attributed to a U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan, an Afghan official and a community elder said Sunday.
The families of the dead received the money Saturday at the governor’s office, said Kandahar provincial council member Agha Lalai. Each wounded person received $11,000, Lalai said. Community elder Jan Agha confirmed the same figures.
They were told that the money came from U.S. President Barack Obama, Lalai said.
A U.S. official confirmed that compensation had been paid but declined to discuss exact amounts, saying only that it reflected the devastating nature of the incident. The official spoke anonymously because of the sensitive nature of the subject.
A spokesman for NATO and U.S. forces declined to confirm or deny the payments, saying that while coalition members often make compensation payments, they are usually kept private.
“As the settlement of claims is in most cases a sensitive topic for those who have suffered loss, it is usually a matter of agreement that the terms of the settlement remain confidential,” Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings said.
Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is accused of sneaking out of his base before dawn on March 11 then creeping into houses in two nearby villages and opening fire on sleeping families within.
It was not immediately clear how much money had been paid out in all. Afghan officials and villagers have counted 16 dead — 12 in the village of Balandi and four in neighboring Alkozai — and six wounded. The U.S. military has charged Bales with 17 murders without explaining the discrepancy.
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2 Responses
This is a big waste of our tax payer’s money, as shall the court trial & the imprisonment of Robert Bales.
This compensation must be recooped from Robert Bales estate. He surely does not need the money for himself, as he shall have his expenses taken of, courtesy of the USA prison services.
If they sued in an American court, the payments would be radically higher. Remember these were our allies that were killed. Many were children who would be entitled to a lifetime of earnings. Under most secular legal system, a principal remains liable for the acts of an agent – we brought him, armed him and set him loose. Those who object to the payments are using the same line as the Germans who argued that since Hitler was acting illegally, the post-war German taxpayers shouldn’t pay compensation for the holocaust.
While the only thing that might undo the damage and restore our prestige among our allies (a prompt public execution of the offender) is impossible under our laws, compensation should be meaningful.