Noor Mohammad Motavakil, a member of the Cultural Commission of the Information and Culture Ministry of the caretaker cabinet, on Friday told TOLOnews the Taliban will ask all countries involved in the Afghan war to pay compensation to victims’ families.
Motavakil’s remarks followed a United Kingdom defense ministry announcement on Thursday saying the UK will pay war compensation to the families of victims harmed during UK forces airstrikes.
According to Motavakil, the Taliban has a list of all those who suffered from airstrikes in the last 20 years, and if the compensation is paid they are ready to distribute it to the victims’ families.
“Britain has said it is ready to pay the compensation and we welcome this. Other countries involved in the war also should be ready and pay the compensation before the Islamic Emirate demands them to do so,” he said.
According to the UK defense ministry, the UK has paid out £688,000 for 289 civilian deaths between 2006-2014, an average of £2,380 per person.
The UK defense ministry said compensation was set by legal principles, including past and future losses and local customs. “I expect other countries to also pay war compensation to the harmed Afghans, as did Britain,” said Omid Qasimi, a Kabul resident.
Meanwhile, members of a family that was targeted by a US airstrike on August 29 in Kabul, in which 10 members of the family were killed, called on the international community to offer compensation for the financial and human losses they suffered.
During this attack a house in Kabul was targeted and the US first said it had eliminated Daesh members who were trying to attack Kabul airport. However, weeks later the Pentagon said all the victims were civilians and apologized to the family.
“As you know, many people including children were killed in this attack. It is good that they should be paid the compensation,” said Emran, a Kabul resident.
