Originally published June 1, 2007 at 12:00 AM | Page modified June 1, 2007 at 2:02 AM
U.S. compensated Iraqis, Afghans nearly $31 million, GAO says
The Department of Defense spent nearly $31 million in three years in condolence payments to civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan, but it didn't...
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — 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 (GAO) 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 a claim.
The military makes condolence payments for killing or injuring a civilian or for damaging property. Generally, Iraqis and Afghans 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 property damage. U.S. officials have never released statistics on how many civilians have been killed by U.S. troops.
According to the report, the United States began compensating Iraqi civilians or their relatives in June 2003 for inadvertent killings or property damage, usually at the discretion of the ground forces. But the military didn't establish guidelines for paying civilians until October 2004. U.S. forces began compensating Afghans in October 2005.
The compensation reports aren't very detailed, a Washington advocacy group found. In a separate report released Thursday, the Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict found that many reports contained only a sheet of paper with a synopsis of what happened.
Sarah Holewinski, the group's executive director, said none of the reports the military made public details the incidents the way the GAO report recommended. "All we have seen are bulk-line items. And that kind of generality does not lead to accountability," Holewinski said.
The amount of condolence payments in Iraq dropped by two-thirds between 2005 and 2006. During that time, U.S. officials said Iraqi civilians were being killed because they couldn't identify U.S. checkpoints. The U.S. subsequently made checkpoints more easily identifiable, and the military said the number of civilian casualties declined.
The authors of the GAO report said the Defense Department should better differentiate payments for civilians injured or killed and those whose properties were damaged.
But Holewinski said that even if the military met those recommendations, that wouldn't explain how civilians were killed and why.
Copyright © 2007 The Seattle Times Company
Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
Awaiting daughter's birth, astronaut busy on spacewalk
Anti-Taliban militias arise in Afghanistan
China coal mine blast death toll jumps to 87
Iran gets ready for military exercises

LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham talks about the upcoming MLS Cup final during after a team practice.
nwjobs

Post a comment

Michelle Goodman blogs about work/life balance.
How to tell your office you're gravely ill
Post a comment
nwautos

Choosing a new sedan? Weigh the impact of your choice on your wallet and on the planet.
Post a comment
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Craigslist adoption ad: A plea by young mother-to-be? A scam?
- Italian lead prosecutor argues Knox motive was hatred
- Italian prosecutors request life sentence for UW student
- Tugboat sinks on Seattle's waterfront
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Man shot in chest on E. Union Street in Capitol Hill
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
- Mariners Blog | A Mariners-Tigers swap makes a whole lot of sense for both teams
- Senate vote clears hurdle
236 - Tight Senate vote launches health care over hurdle
119 - Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
118 - Vikings easily beat the Seahawks
115 - Palin excitement builds in Tri-Cities
115 - Prosecutor requests life in prison for Amanda Knox
87 - Cutting through breast-cancer confusion
86 - Game thread
70 - New York terror trials will restore faith in rule of law
52 - Chase shrugs off loss of CD investors
47
- Washington state wines make annual best-of list
- Nonprofits get creative using Twitter and Facebook to make donation easier
- It's possible to recover a life lost to hoarding
- Lynnwood is reinventing itself — again
- Great places to cross-country ski for free (or almost) in the Methow
- 'The Road' takes Viggo Mortensen to Mount St. Helens and Astoria, Ore.
- Child-support error costs nearly $21,000
- Recipes: Sesame Pork Roast, Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, Gingerbread with Lemon Sauce and more
- Banff: powder, peaks & purity
- 175 foster kids in Washington get 'forever families'





