Pakistani drone victim demands damages from CIA

[SparklingCrescent]

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani man who says he lost his son and brother in an American missile attack in the country’s northwest is demanding damages from the CIA.

Mirza Shahzad Akbar, a lawyer for Kareem Khan said on Monday that his client will file a lawsuit against the director of the CIA and the US defense secretary unless he receives $500 million in compensation.

The action is likely to draw attention to the issue of civilian casualties in drone strikes close to the Afghan border.

There have been more than 100 such attacks this year, more than twice the amount last year.

Washington does not publicly admit firing the missiles. US officials privately say little beyond that the attacks are killing al-Qaida and Taliban militants.

 

[BATMAN]

WSJ and Guardian will miss this news.¨

Poor westerners cannot learn full truth, only we Pakistanis enjoy this luxury and are always better informed than our western counterparts.

 

[Nothing]

He should go to GOP not CIA...
Only GOP have power to validate his loss and then demand compensation from CIA.
But it is difficult as both GOP and CIA is not talking about drone attacks openly..
If GOP will demand any compensation from CIA means they also gave them permission to operate drone and if CIA will give compensation human rights organisation in USA will start big time debate.

Only one looser in this catch 22 situation is that poor man who lost his son and brother...
May god give him power to face such a situation..

 

[GentlemanObserver]

Good sue em... Sue em in the International Court of Human rights. Take em to the cleaners.

 

[Materialistic]

That's a modern and a literate man's approach. Grabbing them by law would bring proper attention to the issue, otherwise usual street ranting & protests are ignored as extremists flaming anti-west sentiments.

 

[BATMAN]

He should go to GOP not CIA...
Only GOP have power to validate his loss and then demand compensation from CIA.
But it is difficult as both GOP and CIA is not talking about drone attacks openly..
If GOP will demand any compensation from CIA means they also gave them permission to operate drone and if CIA will give compensation human rights organisation in USA will start big time debate.

Only one looser in this catch 22 situation is that poor man who lost his son and brother...
May god give him power to face such a situation..

It is on record that GOP always urged US to stop those attacks and even offered to operate it on there behalf.

GOP is all clean on this issue.

 

[Nothing]

It is on record that GOP always urged US to stop those attacks and even offered to operate it on there behalf.

GOP is all clean on this issue.

In that case GOP should fight on behalf of that poor man...
If any innocent is killed they should get compensation for his/her family members (its not possible totally to replace love ones).
Even Afghanistan is making too much noise when some civilian get killed by NATO or American forces.

GOP should have that nerve to do that....

 

[PakSher]

Innocent victims should be eligible for compensations. If terrorists were killed, great, but if innocent people were killed then justice has to be served and these people should get appropriate compensation.

 

[MYSTIC]

They have every right to ask for compensation for the damage of property. For innocent lives lost there can be no compensation. Both US and Pakistan need to work closely to make sure that civilian casualties stay low.

 

[EgO Boy]

A common Pakistani, a drone victum asking compansation "HOW DARE HE, MUST BE A TERRIORIST HIMSELF, MUST BE TAKEN CARE OFF".

 

[mehru]

ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN - A Pakistani man who said two of his relatives were killed in a U.S. drone strike said Monday that he plans to sue the CIA in Pakistani courts for "wrongful death" if he is not compensated within two weeks, a move that could renew debate over the legality of the covert program.

Kareem Khan, a journalist from the semiautonomous Pakistani tribal area of North Waziristan, said he is seeking $500 million in damages from U.S. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, CIA Director Leon Panetta and the CIA station chief in this capital city. Khan said the strike killed his brother, his son and another man. He said they were not connected to Taliban or al-Qaeda militants who are based in the region and are the targets of regular CIA drone strikes.

The United States carries out drone strikes in the tribal areas with the cooperation of the Pakistani government, but neither nation publicly acknowledges the clandestine program, and it is unlikely that U.S. officials would cooperate with a court case. The attacks have increased sharply this year, and most have targeted militants in North Waziristan.

The strikes by the unmanned aircraft are controversial in Pakistan, where they are blamed for civilian casualties and characterized as a violation of national sovereignty. But victims rarely come forward, and danger and government travel restrictions in the tribal belt make it all but impossible to investigate such claims independently. Speaking anonymously, U.S. and many Pakistani officials insisted that the strikes are precise.

Legal experts and human rights activists are divided on the legality of drone strikes, but some say those involved could be held responsible in court for errant attacks. In congressional testimony in April, Loyola Law School professor David Glazier said those remotely operating CIA drones could be "liable to prosecution under the law of any jurisdiction where attacks occur for any injuries, deaths or property damage they cause."

But Khan's effort would probably face long odds: Successfully suing the CIA for counterterrorism operations has been difficult in U.S. courts, let alone overseas.

CIA spokesman George Little declined to comment Monday on Khan's claim.

Khan said his brother and 18-year-old son, both teachers, were killed when a U.S. missile struck Khan's home in the town of Mir Ali. A mason who was staying with them was also killed, he said. Khan said he was in Islamabad at the time of the attack.

His attorney, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, provided reporters blurred photos of deceased men he said were Khan's son and brother, but he had no photos of the damaged house.

"My client is a victim of naked aggression by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States," Akbar said.

Khan said he would file civil and criminal suits in Pakistan against CIA officials if he is not compensated within two weeks. Because CIA officials who work in Pakistan on the drone-strike program do not have diplomatic immunity and are not military members, Akbar said, they could be prosecuted for murder as civilians.

Hussain is a special correspondent. Staff writer Greg Miller in Washington contributed to this report.

Pakistani man threatens to sue CIA over alleged drone deaths

 

[Devil Soul]

Pakistan drone victim to sue US for $500M
A Pakistani tribesman plans to sue the CIA for $500m (£320m), claiming it is responsible for the deaths of his son and brother in a drone air strike.

Karim Khan, from North Waziristan, said his lawyer had notified the US embassy in Islamabad of the legal action.

The villager says no militants were in his home when it was struck by missiles on 19 December 2009.

It is thought to be the first time a Pakistani citizen has filed a compensation case against the US.

The tribal region has been the focus of US drone attacks since August 2008.

Hundreds of militants and civilians have died in the raids.

On the border with Afghanistan, the area is a known sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaeda.

'No justice'
Mr Khan, who lives in the village of Machi Khel, near North Waziristan's main town of Mir Ali, told the BBC: "My son and brother were killed in a US drone attack on my home.

"Both were civilians and employees of the local government administration. A man who was working at my home was also killed in the attack."

Mr Khan, a freelance journalist, said no foreigner or militant was in his home at the time of the attacks.

"For the past year, I've been knocking on the doors of the local political administration, and the government, but have received no justice," he said.

"Therefore I have now decided to take this legal remedy."

Mr Khan said his lawyer had sent notices to US Defence Secretary Robert Gates, CIA director Leon Panetta and the agency's Islamabad station chief, Jonathan Banks.

If he did not receive a satisfactory response in 14 days, he would automatically file a civil case in Islamabad against the respondents, Mr Khan added.

The US does not comment on individual missile strikes, although the drone attacks have been officially recognised as part of the war in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region.
BBC News - Pakistan drone victim to sue US for $500m

 

[FullMetalJacket]

He can send a letter to the main CIA director's office. But it will most likely be "misplaced".

 

[The Clarifier]

0.1% of actually reaching CIA offices in the first place...

 

[pak-marine]

good should take them to courts