Sat 25 September 2021:
Between 2006 and 2014, the UK military forces paid Afghan civilians only $940,657 in compensation for 289 civilian deaths, an average of $3,254 per household.
There is renewed focus on civilian casualties in Afghanistan after the US was forced to admit that a drone strike last month killed 10 civilians including seven children – and not militants from Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP), as was first claimed.
A “terrible mistake” was made, said Gen Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of US Central Command, as he offered his “profound condolences to the family and friends of those who were killed”.
The youngest recorded casualty was a three-year-old boy, killed in December 2009 by “shock from (a) controlled explosion” during an operation to clear an improvised explosive device.
One family received just £586.42 for the death of their 10-year-old son in December 2009 – less than another family was given for the death of a herd of donkeys (£662).
Up to 7,000 compensation claims paid by the military during operations in the southern Afghan province of Helmand were examined by Action on Armed Violence (AOAV), a charity organization that investigates and scrutinizes the Ministry of Defence for the killing of innocent civilians in conflicts and war zones.
KEY PAY-OUTS INCLUDED:
- £104.17 given to a family in February 2008 for a confirmed fatality and property damage in Helmand
- £873 paid for a damaged crane
- £662 given for the death of six donkeys who
- £240 paid out for
- £110 given for a lost mobile phone in Camp Bastion
- £4,223.60 given in compensation after four children were shot and killed by International Security Assistance forces in December 2009
- £586.42 given to a family following the death of a 10-year-old
- £527.11 given in November 2009 after a nine-year-old girl was shot in the head and survived
- £607.64 given after a
- £54,347 given for a single fatality in Kabul in November 2007
- £7,204.97 compensation after eight family members killed in May 2009 by a bombing
“The fact that a charity has had to scrutinise this data, rather than the British military themselves, is hugely concerning. So few of these deaths were reported on at the time that these casualties could easily be forgotten,” said Murray Jones, a representative from the AOAV.
One case discovered by AOAV, however, brought military criticism and condemnation as one family was paid a measly $142.42, far less than what other families received for the death of an animal as opposed to a family member or friend. It is the lowest recorded payment for a civilian death.
The Ministry of Defence, however, has defended its compensation scheme for Afghan civilians, arguing that its calculation is determined by legal principles which take into account the nature and degree of the injury as well past and future losses. The settlements, according to the MoD reflect local practices and customs.
“Every civilian death is a tragedy and the UK always seeks to minimise the risk of civilian casualties through our rigorous targeting process, but that risk can never be removed entirely,” a spokesperson from the ministry said in a statement.
Despite a statement from the MoD regarding the number of civilian deaths, AOAV said that the number published by the ministry is an “underestimation” and that the number is higher.
“It’s likely that the deaths recorded are an underestimation of deaths caused by British forces.”
A total of 289 civilians died at the hands of the British military in Helmand from 2006 to 2014. The youngest casualty was a three-year-old boy who was killed by shock during a mine clearance operation by UK forces. Sixteen children were among the 289 civilian deaths.
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