Soldiers who suffered an injury from an IED or EFP while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan may be eligible to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit.

While serving our country, many soldiers suffer severe injury from IED, EFP, and roadside bomb attacks. Injuries may include broken bones, amputation, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, vision loss, post-traumatic stress disorder, and more. In some cases, these attacks are fatal.

An anti-terrorism lawsuit, while not able to reverse injury from IED attacks, can hold accountable banks that funded international terrorism.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed in an EFP or IED attack while serving in the U.S. military in either Iraq or Afghanistan, you may be able to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit and receive compensation.

Funding War

In 2011, The Telegraph reported that Adm. Mike Mullen, then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed the public that weapons manufactured in Iran were being sent to Iraq with the knowledge of the Iranian government.

“Iran is very directly supporting extremist Shia groups, which are killing our trips,” said Mullen. “They are shipping high-tech weapons in there…which are killing our people and the forensics prove that.”

The government placed sanctions on Iran to limit its available funding, with the goal of decreasing their terrorism weapon production. The effort, however, did not work.

Iran, despite sanctions, was able to find international banks willing to fund its efforts, allowing Iran to provide Iraq with IEDs, EFPs, and roadside bombs. The lethal weapons acquired by Iraq, including IEDs and EFPs, have caused serious injury to American soldiers.

An IED is an “improvised explosive device” which has been used as a roadside bomb. IEDs are thought to have caused 63% of military deaths in the Iraq War and 66 percent of military deaths in the Afghanistan War.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, IEDs are homemade bombs used to “destroy, incapacitate, harass, or distract.” Because they are improvised and homemade, the DHS notes, IEDs can vary widely in form and function, from small pipe bombs to more sophisticated devices capable of incurring significant damage and casualties. In some cases, IEDs are meant to be carried into or placed in their target location, whether in a building or on the roadside; in other cases, they are meant to be thrown.

An EFP is an “explosively formed penetrator” designed to pierce the armor on tanks. These weapons can be camoflauged more than 100 yards from the road, making them difficult to detect, increasing their risk to soldiers. EFPs have been linked with the deaths of 196 U.S. soldiers serving in Iraq between 2006 and 2011, according to Pentagon documents.

The banks who funded these weapons are in violation of the U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act and may be held accountable via an anti-terrorism lawsuit. Nine foreign banks have admitted to supplying Iran with funds in violation of the Anti-Terrorism Act and other international terrorism laws.

The Anti-Terrorism Act, 18 U.S. Code § 2333, states the following: “Any national of the United States injured in his or her person, property, or business by reason of an act of international terrorism, or his or her estate, survivors, or heirs, may sue therefor in any appropriate district court of the United States and shall recover threefold the damages he or she sustains and the cost of the suit, including attorney’s fees.”

Many of these financial institutions have already pleaded guilty and reached settlements with the United States. Banks that have pleaded guilty include HSBC Holding Group PLC (United Kingdom), BNP Paribas SA (France), Crédit Suisse AG (Switzerland), Standard Chartered Bank PLC (United Kingdom), Barclays PLC (United Kingdom), and Commerzbank AG (Germany).

Filing an Anti-Terrorism Lawsuit

Following the lead of the federal government, veterans who experienced injury from IED, EFP, and roadside bomb attacks may be able to file an anti-terrorism lawsuit against responsible banks. Legal action against these institutions could help recover compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, permanent disability, wrongful death, and more.

If you or someone you love has been injured or killed because of IED or EFP attacks while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan, you may be eligible for compensation under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

There is limited time to file and soldiers injured during an IED attack should not delay in speaking to a qualified attorney. An attorney can help determine if you have a claim, navigate the complexities of litigation, and maximize your potential compensation.

Through the U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund, victims have so far been paid $1.1 billion in compensation.

If you or a loved one was injured or killed by an IED or EFP while fighting in the Iraq or Afghanistan wars, legal recourse is available. Get help now by filling out the form on this page for a FREE case evaluation.

The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or anti-terrorist class action lawsuit is best for you. (In general, anti-terrorist lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.) After you fill out the form, the attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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