Three U.S. Marines members were killed in an IED attack in Afghanistan on April 8, according to news reports.

IED stands for improvised explosive device and refers to an often lethal weapon commonly used in roadside bombs. Frequently disguised, IEDs can be made from many different items and contain a detonating device.

The report concerning the IED attack in Afghanistan, which took place near Bagram Air Base, was initially released on the day of the unfortunate event. Names of the deceased were withheld at first out of respect for their families, whom the military had yet to contact. The names of the three Marines were later announced as Staff Sergeant Christopher Slutman of Delaware, Corporal Robert Hendricks of New York, and Sargent Benjamin Hines of Pennsylvania.

The attack involved a convoy traveling near the base in the Northern Parwan province. The base is the airfield most used by the U.S. military forces operating currently in the country.

In the update, it was noted that an earlier news release incorrectly reported that a military contractor was among the dead. As indicated by the Associated Press news website, the contractor who was initially reported dead after the IED attack in Afghanistan was an Afghan citizen who was treated at the air base and survived his injuries.

In addition to the three deceased servicemembers and wounded contractor, the Associated Press reports three other U.S. servicemembers were seriously injured by the event. Afghan officials claim that five civilians also were wounded in the explosion.

According to a New York Times report on the incident, the Taliban are suspected of instigating the attack. Ironically, fighting between American supported Afghan troops and the Taliban has intensified as peace talks have been underway and the weather has warmed considerably.

The Associated Press indicated the Taliban owned the roadside bomb event set off on or near an explosive-laden vehicle by a suicide bomber.

The Deadly History of IEDs in Iraq and Afghanistan

The country of Iran was subject to U.S. sanctions during the Iraq war and during the Afghanistan war which is still ongoing. The sanctions were designed to prevent them from acquiring funds that would allow them to support terrorists by manufacturing and exporting weaponry that could be used against U.S. troops and their allies in these conflicts.

Despite these sanctions, it was confirmed Iran did find economic support to do this through a few international banks such as HSBC of the United Kingdom, Commerzbank of Germany, and BNP Paribas of France.

IEDs, explosively-formed penetrators (EFPs), and improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAMs) were the result of these profit at all cost ventures. IEDs specifically cost 63 percent of coalition lives in the Iraq war and to date have cost 66 percent of all lives lost in Afghanistan.

The three whose lives were lost recently were the fourth, fifth, and sixth U.S. servicemembers to die this year and the first three to die as a direct consequence of the use of an IED. Undoubtedly, more deaths of this kind will follow.

Injured servicemembers and families of those killed are not without legal recourse. U.S. federal law allows for survivors or surviving family members to sue conspirators profiting from international terrorists.

This includes the ability to collect legal fees from said parties. An IED lawyer might be able to help you recover funds for pain, suffering, past medical bills and ongoing care.

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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