Helmand Province in Aghanistan, has been the scene of some of the fiercest fighting between the Taleban and British Troops. Now, locals caught up in the war zone are demanding compensation, from the British Army, for the loss of family members, crops and livestock, mostly sheep. Bombardier Robert Richardson, who deals with all the claims said, “I do three claims clinics a week. I’d say we get 25 people each day, sometimes we get 60 people in one day. Most of them will be claiming for houses that have been damaged or destroyed. Some people come in about relatives who have been injured.”
Unfortunately, for the locals in the area, the Taleban take over their houses prior to a gun fight knowing full well that the British Army have to open fire upon the community. Hence, the large build-up of injury claims against the British Army, which they have termed ‘collateral damage.’
Compensating the Afghan people quickly for their losses is a form of winning their hearts and minds by the British Army. Major Mike Shervington adds, “If we decided not to give them any money or medical help if we after accidently shot someone, then which way are they going to vote? They’re going to say, ‘Well the Taleban will help me’.”
The full article from the BBC can be found here.
