More than 500 American military family members have filed two lawsuits to hold Iran and several companies responsible for the IED deaths and injuries suffered by soldiers in Afghanistan.

The Long War Journal reported the lawsuits were filed on Dec. 27, 2019. At least eight multinational companies doing business in Afghanistan and the Islamic Republic of Iran are accused of assisting the Taliban and al-Qaeda in the killing of American military personnel.

The lawsuit against the Islamic Republic seeks damages under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act (FSIA) of 1976, which allows a foreign sovereign nation to be sued in a U.S. state or federal court.

The lawsuits allege Americans who were casualties of IEDs, EFPs, and IRAMs between 2007 and 2017 were victims of Iran-assisted terrorist attacks.

According to State Department records and Congressional testimony, the Iran government housed senior al-Qaeda leaders after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S.

According to the Long War Journal, the lawsuit alleges that Osama Bin Laden at one point said Iran was al-Qaeda’s “main artery for funds, personnel, and communication.”

The FSIA lawsuit also quotes a February 2005 military intelligence report that said Iranian government officials paid Taliban fighters $1,000 for every U.S. soldier they killed and $6,000 for every U.S. military vehicle they bombed.

Contractors Also Sued Over IED Deaths

The other lawsuit alleges private contractors working in Afghanistan to rebuild the war-torn areas paid the Taliban for protection. That money was used to help fund the Taliban’s numerous attacks on U.S. troops there, alleges the lawsuit filed Dec. 27, 2019.

According to a report by CNN, a number of private security and development companies purportedly hired subcontractors to funnel cash payments to the Taliban between 2006 and 2017. During that time, the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces worked together to violently pound U.S. forces.

The lawsuit says in part, “Defendants decided that buying off the terrorists was the most efficient way to operate their businesses while managing their own security risks – even though doing so jeopardized other American lives.”

The lawsuit credits statements from confidential witnesses with helping shed light on the practice of certain contractors making protection payments to the Taliban. In addition, internal company documents, congressional testimony, declassified intelligence reports, and media coverage are among the sources used as evidence.

Among the named defendants are MTN Group, a telecommunications company that is not only accused of paying the Taliban, but also of shutting down its cell phone network at night upon the request of Taliban leaders, reported CNN.

Other defendants include DAI Global, the Louis Berger Group Inc., and Black & Veatch Special Projects Corp. These three received more than $1 billion over the course of a decade as contractors working for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Afghanistan.

Among the plaintiffs are the family members of U.S. Army Sgt. Andrew Looney, who died while guarding a checkpoint in June 2010 when a suicide bomber set off explosives. Just months later, Lt. Col. David Cabrera and Staff Sgt. Christopher Newman were among more than 12 people killed when the armored bus they were riding in was struck by a suicide bomber. Their family members have sued, too, according to Stripes.com.

Other named defendants that allegedly helped fund the IED deaths of U.S. troops are Palm Beach Gardens, Centerra Group LLC and Janus Global Operations LLC.

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.

Learn More