Conflict in the Middle East, particularly in the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars, has led to the deaths of thousands of military service members and military contractors by IED attack.

The U.S. has been at war in Afghanistan for close to two decades. According to Business Insider, the United States first entered Afghanistan to defeat al-Qaeda in October 2001. The United States’ entry into Afghanistan followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.

Iraq and Afghanistan War

The Council on Foreign Relations explains that the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003 with the goal of stopping Saddam Hussein’s regime’s alleged use of weapons, and to overthrew the dictator. The U.S. left Iraq in 2011, after which point ISIS gained power and American soldiers re-entered the country.

According to the Council on Foreign Relations, the War in Afghanistan is the United States’ longest war. Unfortunately, peace talks that could have led to the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and the Taliban ceasing to operate in Afghanistan took an abrupt halt. This means that more conflict could continue, and the death toll could rise.

How Many US Soldiers Died In Iraq?

In Iraq, 4,550 service members and 3,793 military contractors have died between March 2003 and October 2018. The numbers of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq do not paint a full picture of the death toll in the Middle East.

In roughly the same time period, 2,401 military members died between October 2001 and October 2018 in Afghanistan. In addition to military service members, U.S. contractors who worked with the military in Iraq and Afghanistan also lost their lives, both, in some cases, via improvised explosive device (IED) attacks. In Afghanistan, 3,937 military contractors died between October 2001 and October 2018.

In a review by the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the consequences of IEDs over the last decade is shown in alarming detail. According to the review, IEDs have been responsible for more deaths than any other explosive weapon in each year of the last decade – with the exception of 2017.

Over the past 10 years between October 2010 and the end of September 2020, OCHA reports that IED violence has been seen in 100 countries around the world. In these countries, there have reportedly been over 28,000 incidences of explosive violence resulting in over 357,000 casualties. Of these deaths, 48% or over 171,000 were attributed to IEDs.

“Such a fact is central to why combatting the rising threat of the IED is so important on a transnational and international level,” the review notes.

The review goes on to break down the effects of IED violence on U.S. soldiers. The 2,640 troops killed by IEDs over the past decades reportedly had an average age of 26 at the time of their deaths. When the type of IED incident was reported, 73% of fatal attacks were attributed to roadside bombs while 16% were suicide bombs and another 11% were car bombs.

Due to the widespread number of attacks and the numerous casualties linked to IED attacks over the past decade, OCHA refers to IEDs as “the ‘king’ of the battlefield,” noting that the impact of these explosives far surpasses other manufactured weapons.

Additionally, these statistics reflect only direct deaths. Others may have perished from indirect factors related to the wars. These numbers also do not include the deaths of civilians, aid workers, journalists, and others impacted by the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars.

Business Insider explains that these statistics come from research conducted by Brown University’s Costs of War Project. Unfortunately, these are just the recorded deaths compiled from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), media, and governmental data, among other sources, and the real death toll may be higher. Business Insider explains that conflict zones present challenges to recording deaths accurately.

Russia Offered Bounties on U.S. Troops

According to American intelligence officials, Russia secretly offered bounties to Afghan militants in exchange for killing U.S. troops and other coalition forces in Afghanistan, The New York Times reports.

The officials were reportedly “confident” about the authenticity of this intelligence, the Times says, but are less sure about exactly how high up the authorization for this covert operation went, and what the exact aim may be.

U.S. officials have said that this intelligence was provided to President Donald Trump and was discussed in a meeting of the White House National Security Council in late March. The group reportedly came up with a number of potential steps forward, however, in the months since that meeting, the White House has yet to authorize these or any other steps, according to the Times.

“The officials familiar with the intelligence did not explain the White House delay in deciding how to respond to the intelligence about Russia,” the Times reported.

Russian officials have previously dismissed claims that the country provided small arms and support to the Taliban as baseless, “idle gossip.”

Iraq War Fund

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act allows veterans, Gold Star families, military contractors, and others to sue Iran for its alleged involvement in attacks that took place in Iraq and were carried out by terrorists. Reportedly, these terrorists may have received support and funding from Iran, enabling them to carry out attacks that killed U.S. military members and contractors.

Several veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan war have filed lawsuits against the Islamic Republic of Iran in an attempt to hold the country responsible for the injuries and deaths caused by Iranian-funded IEDs and EFPs.

According to a plaintiff in a $10 billion lawsuit filed in late 2018, the Iranian government has essentially gotten away with murder. Patrick Farr, the father of an Army specialist who was killed by an explosive suspected to be funded by Iran, released a statement regarding the lawsuit.

“The trial won’t change any of that, but I hope it will help set the record straight so that our leaders learn from past mistakes and come to recognize the full magnitude of what Iran did to my son Clay and his fellow soldiers who were serving in Iraq,” said Farr. Although the lawsuit seeks $10 billion in damages, it’s unknown when the plaintiffs and the families of the victims will receive any recovered compensation.

According to another lawsuit filed against Iran in December 2019, Iran partnered with the Taliban by agreeing to pay the terrorist organization for each U.S. death, and each destroyed U.S. military vehicle or tank. The plaintiffs in that suit claim that Iran paid the Taliban approximately $1,000 for each U.S. service member killed, and as much as $6,000 for each destroyed vehicle. According to evidence cited in the lawsuit, these payments were made for dozens of military service member deaths in the early 2000s.

U.S. law allows any U.S. national who suffered physical or financial injury as the result of terrorist activity to sue in any appropriate district court of the United States. The law allows victims to recover up to three times the amount of damages suffered as a result of the effects of the terrorism.

If you or someone you love was injured or killed due to IED attacks in Iraq or Afghanistan while serving in the U.S. military, you may be able to file a lawsuit and pursue compensation under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Of course, filing a lawsuit cannot take away the pain and suffering caused by these kinds of injuries, nor can it bring a loved one back to life, but it can at least help to alleviate the financial burden associated with these injuries. The U.S. Victims of State-Sponsored Terrorism Fund has so far paid out more than $1 billion to victims and their families.

Join a Free Iranian IED, EFP Lawsuit Investigation

If you or a loved one was injured or killed by an IED attack 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.

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