During the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Iran’s support of anti-American militants, including providing weapons, was linked with hundreds of deaths in the U.S. military.

IEDs (Improvised Explosive Devices) and EFPs (Explosively Formed Penetrators) are types of roadside bombs that have led to hundreds of injuries and deaths of U.S. service members. An IED attack could injure or kill multiple servicemembers at the same time.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, many IEDs and EFPs used in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars against American troops were supplied by Iran. However, the U.S. had placed sanctions on the country in order to prevent this very thing. The Department of Defense found that some major banks had helped Iran circumvent these sanctions by funneling a significant amount of money to Iranian proxies.

Anti-Terrorism Act Litigation

A lawsuit filed back in 2016, naming the Islamic Republic of Iran as a defendant, alleges that the country is responsible for weapons, training, and other support of terrorism that led to the death and injury a thousand or more U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2011.

Instead of facing an attorney in court defending Iran, the plaintiffs’ attorneys must instead argue their case to U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who will determine whether or not the evidence supplied in the trial can hold Iran accountable.

Other lawsuits do not target Iran directly, but the banks and other financial institutions that allegedly illegally transferred billions of dollars in funding that helped supply weapons for attacks on U.S. troops and civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan.

So far, a number of banks have admitted their roles in funding the supply of weapons that ended up being used against members of the U.S. military, causing severe injuries and fatalities. HSBC, Credit Suisse, Commerzbank AG, Standard Chartered Bank, and Barclays have each paid hundreds of millions in forfeitures or settlements because of these violations.

Estimates point to nearly 6,000 victims of state-sponsored terrorism that may be eligible for compensation in litigation under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Many different materials can be used as explosives inside IEDs. IEDs can carry different kinds of materials known as enhancements. These might be metal fragments or nails that can propel in the explosion to cause additional damage.

What makes IEDs accessible as weapons to so many people is that the inner materials are commonly found. Examples include gunpowder, hydrogen peroxide, and fertilizer. These explosives materials include an oxidizer and a fuel. The oxidizer provides the oxygen that is required to carry out the full reaction sought by the person making the IED.

Along with the materials inside, other factors about the individual IED influence the impact of the explosion. These other factors are the placement, the construction, and the size of the device. IEDs put on vehicles also have the potential to do more damage since there’s more explosive material that can be packed into the device when it’s on a car or truck.

When many IEDs have exploded in foreign countries, those who put the bombs in place often use distractions to draw attention away from the major explosion. Other surprises like small bombs or gunshots get attention from people focused in a different direction and moving to a gathering place. Once people are at the gathering place, a second explosion is then triggered by the IED.

Immediate health effects of attacks with IEDs include fragmentation damage, overpressure problems, thermal injuries, and impact injuries. Anyone who suffers these injuries also has the possibility of suffering from complications like infection if the wound is not treated right away.

Filing an IED Attack Lawsuit

If you or someone you love was injured in an IED attack in Iraq or Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. military, you may be able to file a lawsuit under the Anti-Terrorism Act and pursue compensation. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by injuries from these horrific attacks, nor can they bring a loved one back to life—but they can at least help to alleviate the financial burden, as well as hold banks accountable for their actions that contributed to these attacks.

The U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund has so far paid out $1.1 billion to victims, and a similar amount is expected to be paid out later this year.

If you or someone you love was injured or killed in an EFP or IED attack while serving in the U.S. military in Iraq or Afghanistan, you may be able to file a lawsuit under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

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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