Afghan Victims of U.S. Bombings Demand Compensation

Tehran Times online edition ^ | 02/13/02

[invaderzim]

KABUL -- Victims of the ongoing U.S. bombing campaign in Afghanistan gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in Kabul Wednesday to demand compensation for their losses.

Among the victims were 21-year-old Aziz Ullah, whose left leg was sliced off by a piece of flying shrapnel, and 34-year-old Abdul Bashir, who lost "my beautiful daughter" when a bomb exploded near where she was playing in the street in October.

Orfa Abdulahmad, meanwhile, tearfully told reporters how she had lost eight members of her family when her home was hit by a wayward bomb soon after the air raids began on October 7, AFP reported.

The demands for compensation come amid a new outcry over the civilian toll of the bombing campaign.

Afghan officials have said a CIA missile strike last week in eastern Khost Province killed three poor villagers, not Al-Qaeda fighters as the Pentagon has suggested.

The victims outside the embassy on Wednesday suffered their losses during the early stage of the bombings, which are aimed at destroying the Al-Qaeda network of Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born dissident accused of masterminding the September 11 terrorist attacks.

The U.S. government has set aside one million dollars to pay medical expenses of Afghans who have lost limbs in the bombing but the funds, to be distributed through the U.S. agency for international development, have yet to reach Afghanistan.

Marla Ruzicka, program coordinator for the global exchange non-governmental organization which is behind efforts to pressure the U.S. government to compensate victims of the bombings, called for the immediate establishment of a 20-million-dollar fund.

"The victims need homes now. Aziz Ullah needs a leg now. They can't wait months and months," she told the gathering.

Ruzicka, 25, added that 20 million dollars was less than the 30 million dollars spent each day by the U.S. government on bombing Afghanistan.

One survey carried out by a U.S. researcher said there were at least 3,767 civilian casualties between October 7 and December 6 alone. Other independent estimates have put the toll at around 1,000.

[4TheFlag]

One sidenote to that photo, Count six pillars from the left, that's a Lady holding her infant out for fresh air...

Everyone you see there died that day...

NEVER FORGET!

[LaMudBug]

Give them a goat or a sheep in heat.

[LaMudBug]

Give them a goat or a sheep in heat.

[LaMudBug]

Give them a goat or a sheep in heat.

[samtheman]

I would like to remind the "relatives of september 11 victims" that the entire nation was attacked on that day and that, in fact, the entire nation has been very generous with the victims relatives (as we should be) and that if those relatives --- feeling flush --- want to share their generous survivor-benefits with Afghans or others around the world I encourage them to do so.

[samtheman]

However, when people start pretending that the U.S. is something it isn't, or that it is doing something that it really isn't either is when I have an issue.

So what is your issue? What is it you want? What do you want me to do, or others, or anybody? I still don't see your point.

[Cobra64]

bin Laden was worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Where did he put his wealth? The answer is: financing attacks on America.

[Cobra64]

You can do that, it's not like I care. But don't expect them to be grateful in the end.

There's a whole city of little boys who the teach that to; being grateful.... these adults are are sick, teach HATRED and molest their children.

[Lady In Blue]

What is it about your posts that make me think you're not an American?!

[Cobra64]

Machine gun the whole crowd.

Sadly, I agree with you. It's a matter of cutting one's losses now; before they come and destroy us. On the other hand, could load them up on our cargo aircraft, fly a few thousand C5 sorties over to Charles DeGaulle airport and let the French welcome them with open arms.

[Cobra64]

Well, you could get off your high horse and take a job at FEMA, and pick through body parts at the WTC. Then again, you could join the military and drop a few million tons of food into Afghanistan from our C17s.

You're blaming and critcising American foreign and military policy.

Why don't you become part of the solution?

[Cobra64]

Excellent point with the photo of WTC draped in our Flag. If the bleeding hearts don't get that, nothing will (unless they're part of our terrorist nests). Every whining liberal should visit the WTC before criticising America's policy against terrorism.

[sweetliberty]

I think you're right; it isn't typical and it sure sounds like American legal jackasses to me. Next thing you know they will be wanting to go around the world and convince everybody that every problem in their worlds is America's fault. Still, it is very sad that these people are suffering as much as they are. It seems that in that country living itself is painful and I am very sorry for those who had no part in it who paid the high price of losing a limb or worse....a child. Still, it is not our fault. The Taliban were the ones who used the innocents as barricades because they are cowards. We had to do what we had to do and we knew there would be a cost in innocent life. We are doing far more as it is than they would even do for their own people. The lawyers have no business in the middle of it.

[4TheFlag]

This is what it's ALL about....

[4TheFlag]

make me think you're not an American

I thought the same thing LIB......

[Moosefart]

Let me see if Ive got this straight. We told them before we droped one bomb that all they had to do was turn Bin Laden over to us and there would be no trouble. They chose not to and paid the price for it and we should have to pay them for their own stupidity? Yep makes perfect sense to me...in a liberal kinda way.

[kevlinsky]

I'm not saying we shouldn't have attacked Afghanistan. I'm just saying that we shouldn't expect the Afghanis to not be upset that their relatives died. True, we won't give the jack, and its not like we should, but we can't act as if they are ungrateful bastards. Look at it like this:

Suppose you are a slave on a plantation. I come in and kill your owner, but in the process, I kill your brother and mother. True, you'll be happy at your freedom, but wouldn't you complain that your family was killed?

Now lets continue with the attitude of some people. They see you complaining that your brother was killed and say "That ungrateful bastard! Look at all we've done for him, and he still complains." True, it could be considered that you are better off on the whole, but it still doesn't change the fact that your brother is killed.

I was rather repulsed by the people saying "Those damn ungrateful Afghanis! Here we remove the Taliban and give them a better governmnet, but they still want more?" Wouldn't you if your relatives were killed? And I don't think it is questionable whether civilians were killed - we've been bombing the crap out of them and created a violent uprising. We can say they are better off in the end, but it still doesn't change the fact that we killed civilians and now we jump and shout and pull our hair because they are angry at the death's of their relatives.

[4TheFlag]

You, my FRiend, don't know when to quit.....

Who the hell cares if we hit some civilians????

There are 3,000 of OUR CIVILIANS DEAD.

You never heard the expression "WAR IS HELL"??

How about OUR BRAVE troops that have been killed in accidents, or on the field of battle, you seem to show NO REMORSE for them, just those towel head, murdering COWARD BA$TARDS...

Time to get a grip my FRiend and find some perspective, cause I am calling in the Cavalry..NOW, you will need that asbestos suit...hehehe