The Costs of War

Ever wondered how the U.S. and Britain deal with civilian deaths in Afghanistan? For every confirmed civilian death, payouts — from $3,000 to $5,000 — are awarded to families and communities.

The amount given by Britain fell considerably over the past year, from almost $15,000 to a little bit more than $4,500. The U.S. shells out only a little over $3,000. –JCL

The Guardian:

Twenty compensation claims relating to the killing of innocent Afghan civilians during operations by the UK armed forces are being investigated by the Ministry of Defence.

In the past, Britain has paid an average of £7,300 for every civilian death in war, although the last figures available, for the year ending April 2009, show that figure had fallen to £2,900.

The issue of compensation for civilian casualties has moved to the top of the political agenda as Nato commanders place an increasing emphasis on securing the support of the Afghan population. Officials are already negotiating to establish a standard system of compensation payments among member states operating in Afghanistan.

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