U.S. paid nearly $31 million in condolence payments to Iraqis, Afghanis

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Fort Wayne News Sentinel

The Department of Defense spent nearly $31 million in three years in condolence payments to civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it didn't track how it doled out the money, a Government Accountability Office report found.

The report, released Thursday, is the most detailed public study of compensation payments in the two wars. It found, for example, that the Defense Department paid $26 million to settle 21,450 claims, or an average of $1,212 per claim.

The military makes condolence payments for killing or injuring a civilian or for damaging property. Generally, Iraqis and Afghanis received up to $2,500 for property damage or death. In April 2006, military officials in Iraq raised the maximum payment to $10,000. In addition, U.S. officials began paying the relatives of Iraqi soldiers and police who were killed because of U.S. operations, the report states.

But the department doesn't indicate how many of those payments went for killed civilians, injured civilians or for property damage. U.S. officials have never released statistics on how many civilians have been killed by U.S. troops.



Read more: http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/news/editorial/17306722.htm

[Honeycombe8]

1. The things we're going to find out about the IW in the future.

It won't be long, but just like Vietnam, the true story of this nightmare of a so-called war will come out in the future, when books are written and movies are made. The war will be shown from the Iraqi viewpoint, as well as from the troops' viewpoint.

The truth will win out in the end. But so far, everyone's too chicken to touch it. Plus, I guess, it's too dangerous to go there to get enough of a story for a movie.

Leo DiCaprio? Jack Nicholson as Cheney? Costner as Petraeus? Hey, maybe Fred Thompson can be in it...if he's not President. :)

[burrowowl]

2. A pittance for destroying

nations and people. Iraq: 1 in 8 children under 5 killed by nation building (read destruction).