03.25.2012
Afghanistan: U.S. Paid $50,000 to Each Civilian Death in Military Shooting Spree Incident
original article written by Net Advisor™
Kandahar, Afghanistan. It was reported today that the Obama Administration has paid $50,000 in tax payer dollars to each of the Afgan families where a U.S. soldier may have lost it mentally and reportedly killed what turned out to be Afghanistan civilians in the middle of the night.
“The United States has paid $50,000 in compensation for each Afghan killed and $11,000 for each person wounded in the shooting spree allegedly committed by a U.S. soldier in southern Afghanistan…’
— Source: The Boston Globe
We asked the question, is the Afgan government going pay U.S. families $50K each for the 1,751 Americans killed in Afghanistan? We already know that is a a big fat no.
Civilians killed or injured in war is always tragic on either side, however anyone who understands the risk of war should also understand that they will always be causalities, intended or accidental. The Pentagon calls this “Collateral Damage.” To shell out American tax dollars where 42 cents on every dollar is borrowed money is not the solution here. It’s time exit this futile war.
Tragedy Amounts to a Lottery Ticket?
According to the Asia Times, the average annual income for a person in Afghanistan in 2010 was $426. Doing the math [$50,000 divided by $426], the U.S. payout ratio would equate to 117.37 years of potentially lost annual income to each killed Afgan civilian. In Afgan terms, the Obama payout is a lottery ticket.
Cost in Dollars for the “War on Terror” in Afghanistan
According to Cost of War.com, the U.S. has spent some $513 Billion fighting in Afghanistan alone. Of that $513 Billion, according to Military.com News about $70 Billion has been given to the corrupt Afghanistan government. One could only imagine what $70 Billion could do for America’s lagging education system let alone $513 Billion?
Active Duty U.S. Solder Charged with Premeditated Murder
Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales being charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and other crimes and could face the death penalty if convicted. It has been reported that Bales has a laundry list of mental, emotional, and financial issues that his attorney may argue in his defense.
“An untreated brain injury (from the Iraq War), Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), alcohol, stress from financial problems, possible marriage problems, another long deployment, and being passed over for promotion are being attributed as causes for SSG.”
— Source: Washington Times
There is the question whether alcohol was involved in this civilian death incident according to the Los Angeles Times. Bales claimed that he does not remember the middle-of-the-night shooting. The soldier had also served three tours in Iraq where he incurred a head injury before being re-deployed to Afghanistan.
“Bales was on his fourth tour of duty, having served three tours in Iraq, where he suffered a head injury and a foot injury.”
— Source: Nola.com/ Associated Press
Bails had other issues including allegedly staying in the military to delaying paying $1.4 Million in a financial scheme, and had lost homes to foreclosure. There is no excuse for his actions, however the U.S. should review whether they should allow military personal to stay in active combat when there are known several mental, emotional issues, and or physical limitations that could compromise them self, their fellow soldiers and to others.
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See our other reports on U.S. Foreign Policy in Afghanistan:
What’s Wrong with White House Foreign Policy – Afghanistan (2012)
White House Steps Up Plan to Release al-Qaeda Supporters to the Taliban (2012)
White House & VP Say the Taliban Isn’t U.S. Enemy? (2011)
Afghanistan – an Expensive Exercise in Futility (2010-2011)
Additional information about Net Advisor™
NetAdvisor™ has long followed global events, developed military strategy games, and in 1993 while attending a major private University, wrote a research report titled: “International Terrorism: Challenge to U.S. Intelligence.”
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