If you or someone you love has been a victim of IED or EFP attacks in Iraq or Afghanistan, you could be eligible for compensation from the institutions that funded the creation of such bombs.

According to a report released in April 2019, the Pentagon has increased its estimate of the number of U.S. military troops stationed in Iraq who were killed by militias backed by Iran. The previous estimate from the Pentagon put the estimated casualty count at approximately 500 troops. According to the new estimate, at least 603 troops were killed by militants affiliated with Iran.

This new number means that approximately 1 in every 6, or around 17 percent of American combat deaths in Iraq were due to Iran. The new numbers were taken from recently declassified military documents regarding the war in Iraq. The true figure of Iran-related military deaths is estimated to be even higher, as many casualties that are suspected to be due to Iran-supplied weapons have been unable to be forensically linked to these weapons.

According to the report, these casualties were the result of improvised explosive devices (IEDs), improvised rocket-assisted munitions (IRAMs), explosively formed penetrators (EFPs), rockets, mortars, grenades, small-arms, and snipers. Many of these and other lethal weapons that American troops faced in Iraq were supplied to the militias by Iran. However, several large banks and other financial institutions have also been accused of helping Iran to fund these weapons and attacks.

Previous lawsuits have attempted to hold the Iranian government, as well as these banks, accountable for the deaths of the American troops who were killed by these weapons.

Funding Attacks

U.S. military members and American contractors working in Iraq and Afghanistan risk being hurt or killed by IED attacks allegedly funded by Iran, which has knowingly violated U.S. and international law. Iran has been known to provide cash to terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan if the terrorists agree to attack U.S. and coalition military service men and women and contractors.

Financial institutions accused of helping fund terrorist attacks in Iraq between 2003 and 2011 include:

• Barclays Plc.
• BNP Paribas S.A.
• Commerzbank A.G.
• Credit Suisse AG and Credit Suisse Asset Management Limited
• HSBC Holding Group Plc.
• Standard Chartered Bank Plc.

The U.S. has demanded these banks pay billions of dollars due to the banks’ own admissions of money laundering on behalf of Iran. The banks helped finance Iran’s creation of IEDs , EFPs , and IRAMS used by terrorists against U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq.

Victims of IED Attacks Eligible for Compensation

The U.S. Anti-Terrorism Act imposes civil liability on any institution or person who funds terrorists or assists with any weapons used in a terrorist attack.

Many of the improvised weapons target Humvees, trucks and foot soldiers. According to an article at Brookings.edu, the U.S. spent nearly $17 billion on ways to protect soldiers from IEDs between 2001 and 2011, in addition to another $45 billion to reinforce Humvees and other military vehicles, as IEDs evolved. Still, many military men and women and civilian contractors have been vulnerable to attacks.

These bombs pose very real threats. An explosives expert told ABC News that Iran-made bombs are distinguishable through identifying machine-shop welds and materials that lead to the same explosives factory. Improvised explosive devices are hidden, and terrorists detonate them by using motion detectors that are incapable of being intercepted or jammed.

According to U.S. officials, Iraq roadside bombs inflicted an increasing number of fatal wounds as amore Iranian-made explosives made it past the border. In fact, many in the U.S. intelligence community believe Iran purposefully used Iraq roadside bombs to kill more U.S. forces and that Iran is hiding behind terrorists to avoid a confrontation with the U.S.

“Tehran’s intention to inflict pain on the United States and Iraq has been constrained by its caution to avoid giving Washington an excuse to attack it,” said then-Director of National Intelligence John Negroponte in testimony before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

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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