Buried inside the Department of Defense budget bill that just passed the House is a $5 million compensation fund for families of killed Iraqi innocents.
So far, the United States has conducted 3,586 airstrikes in the war against ISIS, the Daily Beast reported. But the Pentagon has yet to acknowledge what overseas reports are saying – that hundreds of Iraqi and Syrian civilians have been killed in the U.S. strikes. The Daily Beast said U.S. officials have only expressed remorse for the killing of a handful of innocents during strikes over Syria.
But the fund shows the military may be moving in a different direction.
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The news outlet reports the United States will soon be paying out about $2,500 to family members of killed civilians, as well as to innocents who were injured but not killed. The $5 million fund could send "condolence payments" to about 2,000 recipients in Iraq in the next year, the news outlet said.
"The U.S. is taking a positive step by acknowledging civilian harm and offering monetary payments to those suffering losses," said Sahr Muhammedally, a senior program manager at the Center for Civilians in Conflict, the Daily Beast reported. "While payments can never fully compensate for the lost of a loved one, they show recognition of the harm and can help with immediate expenses. The Iraqi government should enact a similar program to assist its citizens."
The fund in the Department of Defense budget is aimed at providing aid to Iraqis only. No similar fund exists for Syria.