Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

AFGHANISTAN

Denmark paid for civilian deaths in Afghanistan

The Danish military systematically provided financial compensation after killing and wounding civilians in Afghanistan, newly obtained documents have revealed.

Published: 11 May 2015 11:47 CEST
Denmark paid for civilian deaths in Afghanistan
The chief of defence said the payments help relations with local communities. Photo: Colourbox
Danish soldiers killed at least 18 civilians during Denmark’s extended military engagement in Afghanistan, Information newspaper reported over the weekend. 
 
Thanks to a freedom of information request, the newspaper obtained documents from Defence Command Denmark (Forsvaret) and the Military Prosecution Service (Forsvarets Auditørkorps) revealing that Denmark systematically paid compensation to the families of civilians killed or injured by Danish troops. 
 
On Monday, Metroxpress published the details of nine such instances of compensation, ranging from a 1,500 kroner ($250) payout to a man struck in the face by a Danish bullet in 2009 to 267,050 kroner ($40,000) paid to survivors after Danish troops killed five civilians, including two children, and injured four in 2010. 
 
In another instance, Denmark paid just 11,500 kroner in compensation for the death of a little girl. The death of a father of eight, meanwhile, resulted in a 55,000 kroner payout. 
 
 
Chief of Defence Peter Bartram stressed to Metroxpress that the compensation payments were voluntary and not an admission of legal responsibility for the deaths or injuries. 
 
“When there is no judicial compensation responsibility, there can be situations in which one out of a consideration for fairness will take a look at whether there is something to be done that will have a positive effect in the areas in which Danish soldiers are stationed and can help to increase security,” Bartram said. 
 
Captain Mads Silberg, who was responsible for Danish troops’ relations with the civilian population during his time in Afghanistan, said that the payouts were the right thing to do.
 
“We paid out a lot of compensation. It was only fair because there were a lot of injuries. It’s well known that we fired quite a lot of shots while we were there,” Silberg told Information. 
 
The Defence Ministry declined to reveal the total amount of money paid out by Denmark in compensation for deaths and injuries in Afghanistan. 
 
Denmark first sent troops to Afghanistan in 2002. Its formal military engagement ended in July 2013, but residuals forces remain in the country. The war cost 43 Danish lives and a total of 20 billion kroner ($3 billion). 
 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

AFGHANISTAN

Spain starts evacuating Afghan employees via Pakistan

Spain was on Monday evacuating via Pakistan Afghan helpers left behind when western forces quit Kabul, a government source confirmed on condition of anonymity.

Published: 11 October 2021 15:58 CEST
A group of Afghan nationals stand on the tarmac after disembarking from the last Spanish evacuation flight at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid in August. Photo: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)
A group of Afghan nationals stand on the tarmac after disembarking from the last Spanish evacuation flight at the Torrejon de Ardoz air base near Madrid in August. Photo: PIERRE-PHILIPPE MARCOU / AFP)

The government source declined to give any details of the move, citing security concerns.

But Spanish media, including daily El País and National Radio, reported that Madrid would bring close to 250 Afghan citizens, who had already crossed into Pakistan and would be flown out on military transport planes.

The first flight was expected to arrive on Monday evening.

Spain’s evacuations have been weeks in the making, with Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares visiting Pakistan and Qatar in early September to lay the groundwork.

Madrid evacuated over 2,000 people, most of them Afghans who had worked for Spain and their families, during the western withdrawal as the Taliban seized power in Kabul in August.

But the flights had to stop once the final American troops that had been protecting the Afghan capital’s airport left.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in August that Spain would not “lose interest in the Afghans who had remained” in their country but wanted to leave.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, on Friday urged the bloc’s member states to host a “minimum” of between 10,000 and 20,000 more Afghan refugees.

“To welcome them, we have to evacuate them, and we’re getting down to it, but it’s not easy,” he said in Madrid.

The EU has said a demand by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to take in 42,500 Afghan refugees over five years can be achieved — although any decision lies with member states.

SHOW COMMENTS